Apex: Extinction
by CRidleyBenbrook
Summary: Grissom Wade came to Andromeda looking for adventure and exploration. What he found instead was a fight for survival. Pressed into service with Apex, an elite military team, he must fight to preserve a foothold for humanity in an inhospitable new galaxy, all the while uncovering a sinister plot to bring the fledgling new Initiative and its species to the brink of extinction.
1. The Other Side

**/ Author's Note /**

If you're as much a fan of Mass Effect as I am, you know that part of the allure of that brand of interactive storytelling is the ability for you, as the consumer, to make decisions that shape the outcome of the story. I set out to capture that dynamic in the crafting of this story, by writing in several decision points where you get to choose the direction your protagonist takes, each with their own set of consequences as the narrative plays out. Unfortunately, FanFiction guidelines prohibit any kind of interactive storytelling, so I've come upon a compromise. The story that follows on this site is one possible path, and if you'd like, you can read it as a traditional story. If, however, you want to experience this story _the way it was written_ , along with the ability to help shape the course of events, head over to my website, and stream or download the .pdf:

 **sites{d o t}google{d o t}com/view/apexextinction**

Thanks for reading! If you've got a moment, leave a short review when you're done - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 _-C. Ridley Benbrook_

 **[Chapter 1. The Other Side]**

They say that smell is the sensation that's tied the closest to your memory. I never learned the science behind it, but it seemed true for me. If I thought about it, I could still remember the smell of fresh-cut grass on my high school football field, or the musk of my grandad's cologne when he gave me one of those painful sandpaper-stubble kisses goodnight, or even the warm, rubbery smell of my combat helmet when it pressurized… but this was a new smell. It was cold and sterile, but not… bad. Just _weird_.

 _Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out._

I didn't know why, but all I seemed to be able to focus on was breathing. For some reason, it seemed harder - like I had to consciously remind myself to keep doing it. I drew another deep breath in through my nose and studied it: the air was dry and cool, with a combination of something metallic, some kind of citrus-y cleaner or disinfectant, and the unmistakable aroma of air-canister oxygen. After a while, it occurred to me that I hadn't taken another breath, even though I knew I should've. I puzzled over it for a moment more, before the world came storming back in a sudden, burning rush.

I gasped for air involuntarily as a flood of tingling energy surged from my head down to my extremities. It felt like an adrenaline injection from my combat suit - I could feel the jitters, feel my heart start to race in my chest. Sound came next, followed by touch - I could hear a cluttered swarm of sounds, growing clearer by the second, but I couldn't move myself off of the cold, hard… damp? surface.

"Pulse is climbing… one-fifty-two, fifty-three," one voice said, clinical and emotionless.

"EEG shows consciousness," a closer one added. Female. Her tone trailed off as if she were confused.

"O-two is good…" the first one replied. "Maybe give it a minute?"

"Hello?" The female voice said, louder. "Can you hear me, mister, um… Wade?"

 _Wade? That's me. That's…_

I fought my eyelids and forced them open enough to allow a sliver of painfully bright white to flood my senses.

"There you are," the voice said with a relieved chuckle.

I blinked repeatedly, squinting to give my eyes a chance to adjust to the light. One blink seemed to finally clear the blurriness, and I saw a face hovering over me.

"Welcome back," the woman said, her face fading quickly from relieved to mildly concerned. "You gave us a bit of a scare there - had to give you a second injection." She glanced to the side intently for a moment. "Vitals are… strong, though. Looks like you're in good shape. You might feel a bit shaky for a while - you've got quite a bit of adrenaline going." She looked back at me. "Can you move your hands and feet for me?"

I tried to speak as I made a fist and wiggled my toes, but my throat was so dry, nothing came out but a raspy cough. I closed my mouth and tried to swallow, but there wasn't much there.

"Good," my attendant said, reaching down to grab my shoulder. "Let's sit you up."

I sat up, and immediately, everything made sense. Sleek, rounded stasis pods extended in countless rows in both directions, perfectly clean in the cool white light that filled the cryo room. I knew this room - it was the last thing I saw before I took the longest sleep of my life. After a few seconds of frenetically scanning the room, I fixated on a new face to my left - a young woman with dark brown hair who looked as disoriented as I felt.

 _Pretty,_ I mused to myself. _She's very pretty…_

"Mister Wade?" The nurse said, a little less cordially than before. I hadn't realized I was ignoring her. "Give me your attention for just a moment, alright?"

I nodded, as she returned to reading from the datapad in her hand. "Wade, Grissom G., Alliance Marines E-five - that's …sergeant, right?"

I tried to croak out a "yup," but my mouth was still too dry. She noticed, and handed me a water bottle. I sipped at first, then reflexively began chugging like there was no tomorrow. It was like pouring life down my throat.

She continued as I emptied the bottle. "Alright, Sergeant Wade, it says here we need to get you up and moving as soon as possible, but I don't want you on your feet until you've got some more fluids in you. I've got to check on our other sleepers, but I'll be back with more water, and then we'll see about getting you down to the habitation deck. Do you think you're alright sitting here for a few minutes?"

"My…" I coughed, finally able to get sound out. "Head. Kinda hurts…"

"A little nausea, headache and disorientation are to be expected," she replied robotically, as if she'd been saying this line frequently. "After all, you've been asleep for six hundred years. It should pass over the next hour or so. I'll be back in a few minutes." She paused for a moment, exhaling, then put on a forced, but pleasant smile. "Welcome to Andromeda."

 _Six hundred years_ , I marveled, as the nurse left me with my thoughts. _I'm six hundred twenty-nine years old._ I moved my ancient hands around - they seemed limber enough. _No worse for the wear, I guess._ The cryo pod glass was reflective enough to see my face in. _No beard, not even stubble_ , my mental inventory continued, as I ran my fingers across the squarish chin I inherited from dad, and leaned down to check the hairline on the sandy-brown curls I got from mom. _Whew! Still thick_. I kept it short enough that I worried there would be no covering it if that line started to creep backward. Thankfully, that inevitability was still far in the future. Finally, I stared straight into the grey eyes that my brother and I shared. _What would Jonathan think about all this_ , I wondered, melancholy for the slightest moment. _What would he do? … well, he sure wouldn't keep gawking at himself in the mirror like a moron!_

Since I wasn't supposed to move, I took the time to get a better sense of my surroundings. To my left, nurses - or whatever they wanted to be called - were dealing with at least a dozen pods like mine, tapping buttons and asking questions. A few empty pods to my right reassured me that things were going pretty well… but then I noticed that the pod directly beside me still had a body inside it - only, it was covered with a sheet.

 _Wabash, Robert, M. E-2_ , the digital nameplate still displayed. _Wonder what happened?_

Trying not to dwell on the fact that I could have been the guy with the sheet on his face, I turned my attention to my other neighbor, the brunette girl who was stroking her forehead as if hers was throbbing as incessantly as mine was.

"Headaches, right?" I said loudly, in hopes to get her attention. After a pause, she looked around, as if to see who I was talking to. I continued, a little more directly. "You feel it to? It kinda looked like you were doin' one of these…" I made a forehead stroking gesture like she had done. "I mean, I know it's probably dehydration or whatever, but dang… I feel like I got whacked with a hammer."

"…yeah, it's uh… it _is_ pretty bad," she replied awkwardly with a sigh.

"Six hundred years in cryo, though… could be a lot worse," I said with a smirk. It quickly melted off my face when I remembered the guy on my other side.

 _Yeah, a lot worse._

I tried to discretely read the nameplate on her pod: _Temperance Walsh. Temperance? What the hell kinda name is_ Temperance _? Were her parents Amish?_

My 'discrete' look must have been more obvious than I thought. "It's… Josie," she said, with a tone that added, 'okay fine, I guess I'll talk to you.' "Nobody actually calls me _Temperance_."

"Oh, well, I mean… not that there's anything wrong with 'Temperance," I responded, happy to have at least some semblance of a conversation going. "Kinda unique-"

"-Which is a nice way of saying 'weird,'" she interrupted. "It's okay, I'm used to it. Just stick with 'Josie.'"

"Grissom Wade," I said, leaning over to extend my hand. She seemed a little surprised, but accepted my handshake. "You Alliance? Marines? Navy?"

"Long story," she replied with a slight wince. "Once upon a time."

"I get it. Technically I'm a _former_ Marine. 103rd."

"Technically we're all former… well, everything," she countered.

"Yeah, I guess you've gotta point there. Speaking of… doesn't it seem weird that we're awake, before all those guys?" I gestured toward the seemingly endless corridor of occupied stasis pods. I couldn't remember the exact number of frozen people on each of the Arks that made the journey, but it was in the tens of thousands.

"What do you mean?" She asked, concerned as her head tilted slightly.

"This is a military block. We're supposed to be late in the deployment - you know, after the geologists and farmers, and all those guys. Only way they they'd wake us up early is if we ran into hostiles…"

"Yeah," she replied, eyes scanning the rest of our frozen human counterparts. "Well… crap. That's not good."

"But then again, maybe they just want to be on the safe side. Who knows? I _do_ know that if I don't get something to drink right now, I just might keel over dead."

"Holy crap, yes," she said, showing emotion for the first time. "I don't know if that nurse is ever gonna come back."

"Well, I'm not inclined to wait and see," I said, swinging my legs over the side of the oval pod and dangling them a foot and a half off the floor.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her tone somewhere between a question and a rebuke.

"Surviving," I said with a wink. With one smooth motion, I slid my feet to the ground, pivoting toward the open end of the corridor… and flopped to the floor like a rag doll.

"Hey! Are you okay?" She said, leaning up to look over the curved side of her pod.

"It's alright," I said, wincing as I pushed myself back up. "My head broke my fall, courtesy of the base of this stupid pod."

"Surviving, huh?"

"Yeah, my legs feel like jello," I said, pulling myself back to my feet as I grasped the side of the pod, "but they work. Just gotta, y'know… take it a little slower."

 _Stupid knee_ , I thought to myself as I gingerly moved from pod to pod. Even after six months of rehab, it had never been fully dependable. The electric pain knifing down my shin was miserable, but at least it distracted me from the still-throbbing headache. "New galaxy, same issues," I ruminated, picking up speed as I pushed past the pain and willed my feet to pick up the pace. "Rise above, Wade."

I finally reached the wide open examination chamber at the end of the cryo bay, and received a reprimand from one of the nurses - but I also received a water bottle. After downing it, I returned with two more in tow, trying to hide my limp, more for my sake than for the sleepers I passed who were in various states of their own rude awakenings.

I reached my pod again at last, placing one bottle inside and extending the other toward Josie.

"First round's on me," I said with a smile. She held up a half-empty bottle of her own, glancing to the side without turning to face me.

"I'm good, actually, but… thanks." Her brows pulled together, gazing blankly across the room.

 _Not what I expected… Maybe now's not a good time._

"You look like you could use a few minutes to-"

"What did I tell you about staying put!" The nurse interrupted, finally back from whatever it was she was working on. "Miss Walsh told me about your fall. How's your equilibrium?"

"Fine, fine," I said dismissively, forcing a smile. "Just a bump."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but I could tell she was in a hurry, and not in the mood to continue scolding me. "Are you well enough to walk without injuring yourself any further?" She asked

"I'm golden," I lied. My knee still stung and throbbed angrily. Something about the freeze-thaw cycle had really caused it to flare up.

"Good. You've been directed to report to room one twenty-two for a briefing as soon as you're up and able. Do you know how to get there from here?"

"Down the hall, to the left?"

"Right," she replied. "Take the tram to the habitation deck. You should be able to follow the signs from there."

"Thanks, doc," I said, gathering my water bottle collection. "I'll head right over." I turned to Josie. She hadn't budged. "Y'coming?" I asked.

"I'll catch up soon," she responded. "Just need a minute."

"I'll save you a seat," I said as I turned to head back to the exam room. The headache and knee pain faded quickly into the background as a rush of excitement and anticipation swelled in my chest.

 _This is really it, man. You're here. Time for a new horizon_. My imagination ran wild, as I envisioned hacking my way through dense forests, climbing snow-capped mountains, discovering untouched lakes and streams… if the worlds here looked half as good as the scans predicted, I was in for the thrill of a lifetime. I couldn't shake the feeling, all the way to the Habitation Deck. I was alive and breathing, and walking - in the Andromeda Galaxy.

—

The room was already crowded with anxious bodies when I arrived, all dressed in matching grey and off-white outfits that looked somewhere between naval uniforms and hospital scrubs. I quickly scanned the crowd for the one familiar face I could hope to see, but he found me first, with a slap on the shoulder.

"Grissom Wade," his voice boomed jubilantly. I spun around and we hugged - man style, of course. Even after 600 years apart from your best friend, protocol still dictates three back-pats and release. Grady had been my best friend since high school. We played football together, we practically lived at each-other's homes, we even dated the same girl once. Seeing him was a much needed island of 'normal' in an ocean of 'new.'

"Man, it's good to see you here," I said with relief. "I didn't know if you'd be in the same block as I was.

"You think I'd let you have all the fun without me?" He replied with a scowl, before flashing a toothy smile. He had always been popular with the ladies - wide shoulders, deep voice, striking green eyes that looked exotic on the backdrop of his medium-brown skin - but I swear he had the goofiest, oversized smile. It was like that little holdover of freshman year that he never grew out of.

"I'm not sure this is gonna be a fun meeting, though," I said with a sigh and a wince. "You know why they pulled a military block so early?"

"Got me, bro," he answered, eyebrows and shoulders shrugging. "But Commander Taylor'll sort it out."

"Taylor's in this block, too?" I asked, more than a little excited. Keelan Taylor was my commanding officer for 3 tours with the Alliance Marines. It was he and Grady who convinced me to join the Andromeda Initiative.

"Hell yeah," Grady answered with pride. "He's the one leading the meeting. Speaking of…" He peered over the crowd, using his 6'3" frame to his advantage. "I think we're about to get started."

I was scanning the crowd myself, looking to see if my new friend, Josie, had arrived yet, but before I could find her, the talk began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention?" Keelan's voice rang out through the room with a projecting, commanding tone. The crowd fell silent faster than you'd think was possible, as he stepped onto a chair to be more easily seen. "You are standing in this room because you're strong… because you're survivors, because you're the best of humanity… and because we need you."

 _Here we go_ , I thought, closing my eyes. _What's the problem?_ He continued.

"I'm not gonna sugar-coat it. The Initiative got off to a rough start. Before we even arrived at our destination, the Hyperion { _"_ _Hyperion," - the human Ark, carrying 20,000 cryogenically frozen passengers._ } hit some kind of energy cloud we don't understand. It damaged our guidance systems, and knocked some pods offline. Habitat Seven, which was supposed to be our "golden world," was a bust. Damn planet's so screwed up even plants can hardly survive there.

"While on that planet, our Pathfinder team encountered a sentient species we've labeled the "Kett." We tried to establish communication, and they responded by shooting us in the head. Despite these hostile forces, Pathfinder Ryder { _Alec Ryder - the human "Pathfinder," tasked with leading the scout team to establish forward outposts and explore new planets. The most prominent human in the Initiative_ } was able to leverage some type of ancient technology on the planet to alter the atmosphere and make a shuttle evac possible. Unfortunately, there was a security protocol tied to this tech." He stopped to take a deep breath, while the rest of the room held theirs. "Our Pathfinder is dead."

All the excitement I experienced on the way over from the Cryo Bay flew away like a helium balloon, replaced by that sinking dread you feel when you're dreaming and you realize you're about to die.

"Scott Ryder has taken on the responsibilities of Pathfinder," Keelan continued,"and he needs our help. We have a second shot at a planet - 'Eos.' It's not perfect, but it's the best we've found. The Nexus { _"_ _Nexus" - the 2-mile long space station, with docking bays for the Arks, which serves as the headquarters for the Andromeda Initiative_ } leadership has tasked Pathfinder Ryder with making this planet viable enough for a permanent settlement, and we are gonna prepare the way for him and his team. Report to the Quartermaster in the shuttle bay for your equipment and group assignments. We leave in one hour. Time is of the essence - food and life support are in short supply on the Nexus. We must not fail. Dismissed!"

I exhaled slowly, as I raked my fingers through my hair. Grady was solemn and speechless.

"Well, I don't think that could have possibly been more discouraging," I said. His eyes darted back and forth, looking into nowhere, as if he was in deep thought. "But if anyone can get us through a bad start, it's Taylor." I looked around the room again, but still, no sign of Josie. Grady still looked like he was in shock. "Hey! Grady!"

He finally looked at me.

"We got this, man," I reassured him, with a pat on the shoulder. "We took the Geth, we took the Batarians… hell, we took on a damn Reaper. We got this."

I was lying - to him, and to myself. Truth is, I was terrified, and I had no idea what we were going to do. A sudden rush of homesickness like I'd never felt before sunk my spirits.

 _What were you_ thinking _, Wade? You left home for this? Crap! Too late to turn back now, genius. It's fight or die… so let's fight._


	2. Scout Team

The shuttle ride to Eos was probably a lot shorter than if felt - a few hours, most likely - but with all the nerves and anxiety everyone was feeling, it seemed to go on for days. The scenery didn't help much, either. Once we made the jump to FTL { _FTL - Faster than Light travel. A mass-effect based propulsion speed available on virtually all modern space vessels_. }, the star field visible through the crew cabin windows blurred into a swirling kaleidoscope of black and white streaks that made you dizzy if you stared at it long enough. Inside the cabin, there was grey. Textured metal floor: grey. Uncomfortable metal benches on either side of the cabin: grey. Walls, hatch, storage bins: slightly darker grey. Other than a few brightly-colored warning panels on the wall across from me, everything was the same spectrum of dull, utilitarian grey. Boredom level 10 - achieved!

After 600 years of sleeping, I was losing my mind staring at the wall. Grady wasn't in the mood for talking, so I unbuckled my grey (surprise!) nylon harness, and took the opportunity to make my way around the cabin and get to know my new squad mates. On my side was Devin Cho, a short, lean man about my age with close-cut, straight black hair. He didn't really say much - seemed solemn. Next to him were Brooke Landingham and Leighton Royce. Both had lighter eyes and hair on the blonde end of the spectrum. Brooke was obviously former military - you could see it in her body language before she even opened her mouth. Once she did open her mouth, it was "mission this," and "prepare that," and "keep focused on blah blah blah." On the other hand, there was something so casual about Royce, he came across as either cocky or aloof... or maybe both. Maybe it was a colony-born thing - he was a Terra Nova kid { _Terra Nova - one of the first, and most successful, human colony worlds._ }, they had their own culture out there.

Across on the other bench sat Saleesh Chabra, a talkative, dark-haired woman in her early 30's, and some Italian guy I couldn't quite understand. He was trying to speak in English, so the auto-translator didn't engage. The most I could decipher from him was 'Paolo,' so I left it at that. Finally, sitting as isolated as possible at the end of the bench was the enigmatic Josie. Her posture had "I want to be alone" written all over it, so I gave her space and studied from a distance.

When I first saw Josie in the cryo bay, I thought she was pretty. Now, without the "I-just-woke-up-after-a-600-year-nap" hangover look, I could confirm that my initial impression didn't do her justice. She was _really_ nice to look at, even if she was dejected and brooding. She was young and fit - somewhere in her early twenties, from what I could tell - about 5'5-5'6, with subtle curvature to her figure that gave the impression she did a lot more exercising than overeating. Her brown, mostly-straight hair was pulled back into a mini-ponytail, with a few loose strands casually tucked behind her ears, which provided a better view of her face. Her jaw was soft but still well-defined, angling nicely to a petite chin. Above that, her lips formed elegant, sweeping curves, with tiny creases on each side that looked like they would normally default upward, if they weren't locked in a contemplative frown. Her cheekbones were pronounced without being overstated, and framed warm brown eyes with gorgeous naturally dark lashes. Neatly-trimmed eyebrows were pulled together in mild concern, as she stared at the dull grey floor. I could tell she was deep in thought, and whatever the topic was, it wasn't a happy one. Still, even with a somber expression, it was a beautifully balanced, feminine face. I seemed to be unwilling - or unable - to look anywhere else. My spying was going just fine for a while, until eventually, as if she knew she was being watched, she turned her pretty, furtive eyes up from the floor and straight at me.

 _Uh-oh. Busted. Quick! Act natural._

She narrowed her eyes, as mine darted back to the colorful warning sign above her head, but it was too late. My cover was blown - it was time to give conversation another go. I casually got up and took the few steps over to her side of the cabin, planting myself in the open space next to her.

"Worried about the mission?" I said over the annoyingly loud hum of the engine.

She huffed a mild sigh and looked my way. "You know, I'm not sure where you're from, but in most places, it's still considered rude to stare."

 _Crap! Reply… um…_ "I wasn't… staring," I countered, a little rattled by being called out.

"You were totally staring." I thought I caught the faintest glimpse of teasing in her expression, but I didn't know her well enough to be sure.

"Okay, you got me. I wasn't _staring_ , but I may have been, y'know… looking… in your general direction. It's just…" _Crap Grissom! Just_ what _? Honest? Make something up? Not… coming up with any ideas._ "It's just," I stalled, as her eyebrows raised, in anticipation to my response, "well, you're nice to look at. … _Aaaaand_ that sounds kinda creepy." I chuckled a nervous laugh, as I envisioned old-world fighter planes dive-bombing into a giant fireball. "What I'm trying to say is, I think you're pretty, and you seemed sad and alone over here, so… I should probably stop talking now."

She forced a smile, and returned her gaze to the floor. "That's… sweet. Thanks, but honestly, I'm fine. Well, actually, I'm not fine at all, but there's nothing you can do to help. Sorry."

"Ok… I respect that," I replied, leaning in a little, "but see, I could actually use _your_ help."

"With what?"

"This flight has been going on for about, what - fifty hours, and I'm _losing my mind_ with boredom. You can only count the rivets on the wall so many times, and 'G.I. Jane' over there is too locked into the mission to chat, and Paolo whatever-his-name-is seems nice, but he thinks he speaks English a lot better than he actually speaks it… you wanna talk for a few? I mean, we're gonna jump right into combat - I'd kinda like to know the team just a little before we get eaten by some weird man-eating alien."

"Okay," she said with mild reluctance, nodding her head before turning in my direction. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Sweet! Well, first off, where are you from? I've been trying to place your accent…"

"Everywhere," she said with a shrug. "Ilium, Beckenstein, spent some time on Omega { _Ilium, Beckenstein and Omega are all multi-species planets in the Milky Way, known for being affluent, and for profiting on the absence of strong legal oversight by the Council._ }… but Earth, originally. Dallas arcologies { _Arcologies - huge, densely-populated architectural structures common to Earth's cities in the late 2100's_ }."

"You're from Texas?" I blurted out, beaming. Dallas was a short day trip from the ag fields { _Rural agricultural land managed by humans, though primarily tended by automated machines by the late 2100's_ } where I grew up. "Ha! Me too!"

"I know," she said, with a chuckle. "You're accent is not hard to place at all."

"Is it that bad?" I asked, feigning concern.

"It's not _bad_. It's actually kinda nice. Reminds me of home." A pained smile bent those pretty lips back into an upward curve, even if her eyes didn't follow suit.

"I miss it, too," I said, glancing over at Grady, who still looked like he was in shock after the briefing back on the Hyperion. "This isn't quite what the promotional brochures promised."

"Not even close! I mean, I thought we'd get a few weeks to at least get acclimated to things here, or maybe, you know, have _one hot meal_ before getting dropped onto a foreign planet."

"Yeah, not really looking forward to that. How 'bout we talk about anything but our probable impending doom on some uncharted desert world."

"Sounds nice," she replied. "Next question?"

We talked for a good half hour about high school football, favorite foods, auto-translator fails, and other comfortably meaningless topics. I was listening to her answers, of course, but I kept getting distracted by that face, and the smooth, slightly-tanned skin that hinted at some percentage of latin ancestry in her mostly European-looking heritage. It was hypnotizing. I could've talked with her for hours on end, but the shuttle abruptly came out of FTL for the final few minutes of our trip, and the group was called together for a video chat with Keelan from the lead shuttle.

"Alright, listen up team," he started, "we've gotta cover a few basics before we land. First, Eos is highly irradiated. As long as you're in the settlements, the energy field will keep you protected. When you leave that bubble, you're in danger. Stay in the Nomads { _Nomad: rugged, all-terrain vehicle designed for personnel transport_ } as much as possible, and whatever you do, _do_ _not_ take off your helmet. The radiation'll turn your brain into scrambled eggs faster than you can say 'oops.' Second, if you see something moving, kill it. You're not scientists today, you're assassins. We've had reports of indigenous wildlife stinging, biting, dragging people off to caves, or just plain smashing them to death. Be aggressive, and keep shooting till whatever the hell you find is good and dead.

"You're gonna be dropped off in several key areas. I need you to establish a safe perimeter around each of these, so our Pathfinder team doesn't get blindsided. We already lost one pathfinder - the last thing we need is to drop Ryder Junior out there, only to have him get eaten by freakin' alien King Kong. _Not on our watch_ , ladies and gentleman. And one last thing - if you encounter any Kett, do not attempt to make contact. Let your bullets and omni-blades { _O_ _mni-blade: a flash-forged, 2' long searing-hot blade projected from the wrist-worn omni-tool. Highly effective against all but the stoutest armors_. } do the talking. Hold your position, call for backup, and wait for the cavalry to arrive.

"This is it, everyone. Adromeda's about to get real. Gear up - we land in five. Taylor out."

I took a deep breath and psyched myself up, as the shuttle began its descent through the atmosphere. I was still worried, but the adrenaline and excitement were finally starting to kick in. We weren't dropping naked - we were equipped and trained to handle any kind of wild beast Eos could throw at us. I looked out the window as we got close enough to see terrain features - everything was dry, brownish-red rock, spotted with some kind of scrubby bush-tree things here and there. The layered sediment walls formed mesas and valleys, as if at some point in the distant past, there had been rivers and lakes, but for whatever reason, water was nowhere to be seen. All in all, it looked a lot like how I remembered Arizona from sightseeing trips as a kid.

 _Alright, yeah. I can do this. Irradiated version of Arizona. No problem. We got this_.

—

The dry ground crunched under my boots, as I took my first steps onto an actual planet in Andromeda. Wind swirled violently around the shuttle, bending the leafless shrub-trees and kicking up the occasional dust cloud. For a moment, I forgot about the mission, and just took in the view. Rough start or not, I was standing on a planet two and a half million light years away from home. It was surreal.

Grady was in charge of our strike team, which was dropped off at the site of the second failed attempt at an outpost. He called me out of my alien-world wonderment and back to the harsh reality of why I was standing there.

"Alright people, huddle up," he commanded, his helmet speaker giving a robotic edge to his tone. "Sweep the outpost first. Every building, every roof, under every structure. Once that's done, we'll take the Nomads and make a one-mile perimeter around this site. We've got three in the garage, but intel says one of them isn't working. You're gonna have to get cozy - four people in three seats. I'm sure you can work it out. Let's get to work, and get this over with."

We paired up in two's, and went methodically, building by building, room by room. Grady and I worked well together. As tense as it was waiting for some lethal beast to come running out of every dark corner, it was nice to be back with my wingman. Before my knee got shredded, the two of us saw a lot of combat action together, fighting Geth and Batarians. He was always a better shot, but I was the better close-combat fighter. As crazy as it seemed, getting back in the saddle was more exciting than anything, and I was actually disappointed we finished the outpost sweep so quickly.

Once all the pairs were done clearing the buildings, we loaded into the Nomads. The only creatures anyone encountered were these creeptacular overgrown beetles, about the size of a small dog. They were quick, but went down easily. It gave everyone some much-needed confidence - this place wasn't quite as dangerous as we thought.

Grady drove the lead Nomad, with Saleesh, Paolo and myself crammed into the back. We smashed a few more monster-beetles under our wheels with ease, and it was starting to look like we were gonna get out of our assignment unscathed, but then we spotted a new creature in the distance. It looked somewhat like a Komodo dragon, but with thick, longer legs that gave it the ground clearance of a wolf. From what I could tell, it was 6-8 feet long, and stood about 4 feet high, including a tall, colorful fin, like one combined stegosaurus spike, running along its spine. This was definitely something to exterminate. We pulled to a stop, and grabbed our weapons.

"Alright people, stay sharp," Grady commanded, tapping on his omni-tool. "Timer's set for five minutes. That's about the limit for your suit's radiation protection. When you hear the alarm, get back to the Nomad asap."

The door lock hissed as it swung open, flooding the cab with blinding light that had been suppressed by the windows' tint. Before we were all out of the vehicle, the creature noticed us, and started to creep forward, opening its huge mouth to dart a purple tongue in and out. Rows of large teeth confirmed this was a predator. As I raised my rifle to line up a shot, the thing croaked a bizarre, low-pitched noise, and leapt to a full run, closing the ground between us in a hurry.

Grady and I opened fire, followed by the other two shortly after. The beast ran right through several bullets, and was almost on us by the time it finally went down, still snorting in uneven breaths. We all stared at it for a stunned moment, before I armed my omni-blade and stabbed it in the throat, putting it to death in an instant. The second Nomad team arrived about that time, and we started to inspect it. Two rows of teeth, some over an inch long… thick, leathery skin with hardened plates in some areas that almost felt like bone. I could see how these would've been a problem for the first Nexus settlements - civilians wouldn't stand a chance with this guy.

We were headed back to our vehicles, when Cho spotted more on the horizon. Apparently, the sound of the gunfire caught the attention of mr. lizard's friends. Three more came running, and we spread out, shooting and yelling. I didn't know if those jaws could bite through my hardsuit, but I wasn't interested in finding out. We downed those three, and two other latecomers, before catching sight of a handful of stragglers which gave up on the fight and started retreating.

"Sir," Landingham asked Grady, in between gasps for air. "should we follow them?"

He glanced at his omni-tool and winced. "Negative. Back to the Nomads. Need to give your suits a chance to buffer their rad { _Rad - shorthand slang for "radiation"_ } dampers."

"Understood," she huffed, obviously disappointed by his answer. We returned to the vehicles, and caught their tracks, following for a few minutes, until we found them huddled around something as if they were feeding on it. After disembarking, we took a few down, and gave chase to one last one, until it bolted into a dark cave entrance. We crept in closer, coming to a halt about 20 feet away.

"Permission to pursue," Landingham asked expectantly.

"Granted," Grady replied, "but go slowly. We don't know what-"

"Look out!" Royce interrupted, pointing at the lizard-thing that came bolting out of the cave, and right past us, before we could get off enough bullets to bring it down.

"That was odd," Chabra said, stepping in a little closer to the cave entrance. "What would have caused that one… to run…" She trailed off, stepping back, as a deep gurgling sound came thundering out of the mouth of the cave. Something scarier than the lizard was in there.

Before anyone could warn her to get back, a new beast came charging out of the dark. It was terrifying - like a huge, reptilian gorilla, easily 12 feet tall and so thick that the ground shook with its movements. She turned to run as we all scrambled, but it was way too fast, and in a flash, it had its huge hand around her waist. I moved around to the side to try and get a clean shot at the thing without hitting Chabra, while she screamed and flailed her legs helplessly. I didn't get there in time, and watched in horror as it thrashed her against the rocky ground again and again. I suddenly understood what Keelan meant by 'alien King Kong.'

"Crap, crap, crap!" Grady shouted. "She's down. Open fire. Drop that thing!"

We lit it up with all the full-auto we could muster, and it only seemed to piss the thing off. It dropped Chabra's limp body and looked up at us with fierce, yellow eyes under a horned armor plate on its forehead.

 _Not good! Not good!_ I caught something in my peripheral vision to the left, and glanced to see Josie nearby. She was visibly shaking. The monster turned in our direction and started to charge again. Josie froze - fumbling with her gun, knees locked as the thing closed ground on us. I darted to the side, tackling her just in time as it pounded a fist onto the ground right behind us. I had lost my rifle in the process, but instinctively rolled onto my back, drawing my pistol, and fired several shots right at the thing's face. It reared back and swatted in the direction of the bullets, roaring in pain, while the rest of the group circled around and kept firing. I grabbed Josie's hand and we got to our feet, taking the chance to get some distance while lizard-kong was stunned.

It didn't last for long.

Paolo got too close to the beast while circling around - one swat sent him flying.

"Stay _back_ , dammit!" Grady shouted, backpedaling as he reloaded. "Try to flank it."

We kept shooting as it charged again, but we still underestimated its speed, and it closed in quickly enough to grab Cho by the arm. He was a biotic { _Biotic - an initiative species person (mostly Asari, but occasionally human or krogan) with telekinetic abilities, usually enhanced by technological brain implants_. }, and pushed back enough the slow the thing down, but I knew if we didn't act fast, Cho was a gonner. Bullets just weren't cutting it - we needed a different approach. I took the opportunity with the creature's back turned to me, and charged, arming my blade as I closed the 20 feet or so between us. With the help of my suit's jump assist, I was able to get onto its upper back, driving my blade deep into the softer tissue next to its shoulder. The creature roared and lurched under me. Reaching up, I caught hold of its forehead plate and plunged my blade 2 more times into his neck and shoulder, while it spun and swatted at me. I was about to deliver one final strike when it caught hold of my waist and flung me over its head.

The world went spinning as I hurdled head over heels and landed with a thud, flat on my back. For a minute, I couldn't feel anything - must've been in shock. I couldn't breathe, either. I could hear shouts, though, and gunfire… and the groaning of a dying beast. I got my breath back after a few terrifying seconds, but my whole body ached, and my muscles didn't want to budge. Things went mostly quiet for a minute, then more shouting, and footsteps approaching me. Landingham peered over me with concern.

"Wade?" She called out. I managed to get my forearm to move, and gave her a shaky thumbs-up.

"Okay, I think," I groaned.

She heaved a sigh of relied. "What the _hell_ were you thinking? Didn't you hear Bannon say 'back up?'"

"I had… to improvise," I replied, wiggling my toes to make sure they still worked.

"Can you walk?" She asked, extending a hand to help me up. I took it, and got to my feet - shaky, but stable enough to move - _slowly_. "Improvising gets people killed," she continued. "You're lucky."

I brushed her chiding off. I didn't answer to her, and I wasn't about to let another team member get rag-dolled to death while I watched.

With the monster taken out, we limped back up into the Nomads, dangerously close to overloading our rad dampers. It was a somber ride back to the outpost. Chabra was smashed almost beyond recognition. We brought her body back with us, but first aid was pointless - there was nothing to save. Paolo had broken ribs, Cho's shoulder was dislocated, and I felt like I'd been hit by a train. The bad news only got worse once we were back to the rally point for extraction. Strike teams 2 and 3 encountered resistance from aliens - the Kett - and lost 3 more members, along with a handful more wounded. They also sustained critical damage to one of their shuttles, which meant some of us would have to stay behind while the injured and dead were transported back to the Nexus. I volunteered to stay - my injuries were treated well enough with a heavy dose of pain killers. Besides, I was worried about Grady. I hadn't heard him speak a word since we encountered the giant whatever-the-crap that killed Chabra.

Once the functional shuttles were away, the rest of us got to work, restoring emergency power, inflating mattresses for temporary bunks, and digging through messy storerooms for food. The failed Initiative colonists had fled in such a hurry that most of their supplies were left behind. The good stuff was long gone, thanks to looters and scavengers, but there was enough left over for us to enjoy for one night.

Once the sun - or whatever you're supposed to call it on an alien world - was down, it was way too cold to be outside, so we assigned a rotation of lookouts, and huddled in one of the large buildings for the night. A few of the guys had drudged up some booze, along with a decks of cards, which was enough entertainment for those who didn't want to try sleeping.

Josie was one of the few who _did_ feel like sleeping, but from her constant tossing and turning, I could tell sleep wasn't in the cards for her. I groaned as I gingerly lowered my body to sit next to her sheet-less air mattress, speaking softly in case I was wrong about her wakefulness.

"Can't sleep?"

"No," she sighed, rolling over to face me. "Though, it _would_ help if those boys didn't have to yell every time someone had a good hand."

"Boys will be boys… especially when there's alcohol involved. You gotta cut 'em some slack, though. It's been a hard day…"

"Seriously," she said, leaning up on one elbow. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Saleesh getting whipped around by that… _thing_."

"Rough way to go."

"If you hadn't jumped his back, Cho would've been dead, too. That was… brave. And maybe a little reckless."

"At least _someone_ sees it that way. Landingham had a few choice words for me after that one."

"She's a bit of a stickler for rules, huh?"

"Yeah. I get it, though. My C.O. { _C.O. - Commanding officer._ } always used to let us play things loose, but she's one of those who broke the 'off' button on her intensity meter. Speaking of…" I leaned in a little closer to make sure no one else could hear. "When you said you were armed forces ' _once upon a time_ …' this was your first combat action, wasn't it?"

"What?" She snapped, suddenly defensive. "No… I've done stuff… it's complicated, alright? So I fumbled with the gun. I just got out of cryo like a day ago. I'm fine."

"Hey, easy… I wasn't-"

"Just drop it, ok. I'm _fine_." She rolled the other direction, as if to end the conversation.

"Look… I was just trying to say, don't sweat it. I've seen it before, happens to a lot of people. Don't worry - your secret's safe with me. Just be careful, alright? Take it slow. You'll get the hang of it."

No response. I got the hint, and got up to check on Grady.

"There's no _secret_ ," she said, as I walked away. "I'm fine."

We both knew that wasn't true.

Scanning the faces in the room, I was concerned when I couldn't find Grady. I checked the entry window to see if he was on watch, but had no luck. After a quick search of the side rooms and storage closets, I found him in a dimly-lit room full of crates, clutching a bottle of something that was mostly empty.

"There you are," I said, both relieved and worried to see him sitting there on the floor. I eased down beside him for a quiet moment. He said nothing.

"Hell of a day, huh?" I continued, as he took another swig.

"It's _all_ gone to hell, man," he finally said, still staring at the floor.

"Hey - we're alive," I countered, trying to cheer him up.

"You don't get it, bro. We're screwed. We are royally… _royally_ screwed."

"It's just a bad start, man."

"No, it's a bad everything. All the worlds are a bust, Grissom. _All of 'em_. The Nexus is starving, the Hyperion is jacked up, our Pathfinder is dead… it's only a matter of time until we starve to death, or get irradiated, or killed by freakin' monsters… oh - and that's not even including these 'Kett' bastards."

"Look, we've got good people - smart people - on the Nexus trying to work things out. Nobody's gonna starve. We just need to hold out until the other arks show up."

"The other arks?" He chuckled bitterly. "Grissom, there are no other arks. They're M.I.A. { _M.I.A. - shorthand for "Missing in action"_ } Probably screwed up by that energy cloud crap, or blown to hell by the Kett. There's no help coming. This is the end, man."

I contemplated taking the bottle from him - he never did know when to stop drinking. When I looked down, though, I saw there was a bigger problem - his other hand was holding a pistol.

"Grady, bro… why don't you come and lie down for a while. Everything'll feel better in the morning."

"It doesn't matter," he said coldly.

"I'm worried about you, man-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" He shouted, finally turning to look me in the eyes. "You don't understand…"

"Understand what?" I asked, exasperated.

"They didn't tell you why they were in such a hurry to leave the Milky Way, did they?" he asked, tears in his eyes. "It's the reapers, bro. Taylor's cousin - he was on the inside. I heard all about it. That one we killed at the Citadel was just a scout. And all that crap with the Collectors - that was them, too. When we left, _thousands_ of them were on their way through dark space. There's nothing left in the Milky Way, man. The reapers wiped out everything while we slept on the ark. No humans, no turians, no anything. We were the last hope for our whole species, and now that hope is blown to hell. I can't… I'm not gonna watch us go down the tubes."

My heart sank. _Thousands of reapers? … guys back home had no chance. Mom, dad… everybody. Can this really be it?_ It was too heavy to take in. I had to keep my friend from doing something stupid.

"Grady, please… listen to me. No matter how bad it seems, we can pull out of this. It's not too late."

"It is for me," he said, before exhaling slowly. And before I could say another word, he brought the gun up to his head and pulled the trigger.


	3. Advent

Leaving Eos was hard. As rough as the planet was, it was still a _planet_. Watching the brownish-red sphere fade out of sight - with my best friend buried on it - reminded me of just how very alone I was in this new galaxy. I felt utterly lost.

Back on the Hyperion, things were way different, but not much better. Grady was right about one thing - the Nexus was running dangerously low on food. They had been operating for a year and a half, and were expecting to have functional outposts producing locally-grown produce by now. Living space was limited, rations were limited… it was hardly an existence. Fortunately, it didn't last long.

Just over a month after we left Eos, we were called back. I don't know how, but Scott Ryder and the Pathfinder Team found a way to activate the same kind of alien tech there that they did on Habitat 7. They called it "Remnant" tech, some kind of super-advanced terraforming equipment that was hundreds of years old, apparently abandoned by an extinct creator. Whatever he did, the radiation was declining rapidly as the atmosphere thickened. Clouds started forming, the surface temperature extremes got milder, and O2 levels were just under livable limits for humans. It was a miracle.

The changed atmosphere on Eos made a permanent outpost possible, but it didn't do anything to change the deadly animals and alien presence on the surface. That's where I came in. Two more military-based cryo bays on the Hyperion were thawed out, and I was deployed alongside about 120 others, to serve as a militia and security force on the planet surface. It was our job to keep the geologists and farmers alive long enough for them to start cranking out local food.

I was amazed at the change when we landed the second time on Eos. The new settlement, "Prodromos," was settled in a valley, which buffered against the wind and kept the soil a little moister. Grey & white Initiative buildings were already clustered around a small lake, about 1/4 mile across, with material crates the size of semi-trucks extending nearly halfway around the north side, just waiting to be unpacked and put together. It was a much larger-scale production than I expected.

Combat came at a much slower pace the second time around on the planet. We made patrols daily, tackled the occasional pack of long-legged lizards - named "Adhi's," - and on a rare occasion, wrangled with a scout team of Kett. It wasn't a leisurely life, though. The slow pace of fighting left plenty of time for heavy-lifting, and our militia doubled as a construction team when not on patrol, systematically unpacking crates and assembling permanent structures for housing, scientific study, food storage… even recreation. The greenhouses came first, though - even before troop housing. I spent my first 2 and a half weeks on Eos sleeping between planter boxes, where imported oats and green beans grew in imported soil. I didn't mind it much - I was just happy to be part of the solution to the food shortage.

Living in Prodromos wasn't all work - everyone was allotted one half day off each week for rest & recreation. I convinced Keelan to put in a good word for me, and got my "weekend" to coincide with Josie's. With Grady gone, and Keelan busy managing the scout teams for the militia, she was the best shot I had at a real friend - you know, the kind you can go past small talk with, and hit the heavy topics. Josie's spare time was almost always spent doing the same thing: target practice. Even after 3 months, she was still driven to prove my accusations wrong - that she wasn't as experienced in combat as she claimed to be. At least, that was my theory.

"You know, there's a really nice pool table in the rec room," I said to her one Friday, as I casually strolled up from behind. "You could practice your aim, and actually _have fun_ on your day off."

"This _is_ fun," she said, without looking up from her prone stance. The gun thundered, and a cloud of dust in the distance signaled that she hit something, though I couldn't see whether it was the right something.

"Damn!" She loud-whispered, half to herself. "This wind is worse than it looks." She turned her head toward me, but stayed on the ground. "You're messing with my focus, Wade," she said through squinting eyes. Beautiful, lash-lined squinting eyes.

"Geez, Jo. Good to see you, too," I countered, obviously feigning offense.

She huffed, and lowered her trimmed eyebrows. "Would you please stop calling me that? 'Joe' is a man's name. I already shortened it from 'Temperance' to 'Josie.' Can't you just leave it at that?"

"First of all," I replied, folding my arms, "It's 'Jo,' just J-O, no E."

"Oh, that makes it _all_ bet-"

"Second of all," I continued, interrupting her rebuttal, "'Temperance' and 'Josie' are two syllables, so you didn't really shorten anything for me."

She chuckled, shaking her head and shading her eyes from the sun. "You do know that 'Tem-per-ance' is three syllables, unless you're in hickville, Texas."

"That… is… irrelevant," I said, unable to hide the embarrassed smile on my face from being called out. "Jo's still easier."

"Well, it's not my name, so don't expect me to answer to it."

" _Okaaaaaaaay_ , okay! Fine, Jo-SEEEE. You win. But name-shortening's a form of endearment. You should be honored that I tried."

"Um, thanks, then," she said with a playful roll of her eyes, returning to her rifle's scope. "I've got five or six more rocks to hit, and then I'll come kick your ass at pool."

I'm sure I would've had an awesome comeback of some kind, but our conversation was interrupted by captain protocol herself, Brooke Landingham. It was like her sole purpose in life was to prevent me from a moment's relaxation.

" _There_ you are," she said, panting with audible frustration. It was also like she was always out of breath. She was too thin to be that out of shape - All I could figure was that she must've been having trouble adapting to the low-oxygen atmosphere outside Prodromos. It was thin, for sure - like doing everything on a mountaintop - but after the atmosphere improved enough to allow it, I went helmet-free as often as I could.

"Commander Taylor needs to see you," she continued.

"Which one of us?" I asked.

"Both of you. And for the love of God, would you _please_ leave your damned radio's on? You're not supposed to turn them off, even on R&R time. In case you forgot, this is a hostile alien world, and you're outside the valley. If something were to happen in Prodromos, we need to be able to count on you to get back quickly to assist the outpost."

I checked my hip - the radio wasn't _off_ , it was just turned so low that I couldn't hear it. Josie's, on the other hand… well, let's just say she wasn't an ardent rule-follower either.

We followed Brooke back to Prodromos, but instead of the Militia HQ, we ended up in Mayor Bradley's office.

"Thanks for coming," the Mayor began, cordially. He was somewhere in his 40's, about my height, but leaner, with dark skin and a hardened, but kind face that looked like he had seen his share of combat duty. "I'm sorry this had to interrupt your time off, but I've got a situation that's become… well, urgent."

"We're at your service, sir," I replied.

He tapped on a datapad as Josie, Keelan and I huddled around to see what looked like a map of the area. "This is Prodromos," he began, tapping on the screen, "and our range extends to about here. Now, three weeks ago, satellite scans picked something up over here. We did a flyover to confirm, and it's exactly what it looks like…"

"Another settlement?" Josie guessed, as surprised as I was.

"Right," said Bradley. "Built with Initiative equipment, from the looks of it. It's a group of humans, but the Initiative didn't send 'em. We caught a straggler yesterday, wandering on the high plains out to the west. Said they're the 'sovereign nation of Advent.'"

"Uh… okay?" I said, scratching my head. "So, that's a thing now? Just call yourself a nation?"

"Word got back to the Nexus," Bradley continued, "and the brass there wants them gone, asap. Grouped them in with the exiles { _Exiles: Initiative personnel banished from the Nexus after a failed mutiny attempt._ }."

"So, you want us to what - kill 'em?" I asked, sick to my stomach over the thought of shooting our own people. Exiles or not, there were only so many humans in Andromeda.

"No," Bradley answered. "Not if there's any other way to handle the situation. Last time I checked, this planet was my responsibility, so we're gonna do things my way. Miss Walsh, I understand you were part of an infiltration unit back in the Milky Way…"

"Um… uh, yes sir," she answered awkwardly.

"Good. I need you to put those skills to use. I want you to travel to this settlement undercover, and bring back intel for me. How many are there, what's their military capability, are they allied with the Exiles on Kadara { _Kadara - a wild, mountainous world where the Exiles had established a colony_. }, and most importantly, what's their diplomatic stance toward Prodromos and the Initiative as a whole."

"You're gonna pose as an independent scavenger," Keelan added. "We've got a refurbished Kett land cruiser for you, stocked with some salvage. Offer to trade, and find a way to talk yourself inside their complex."

"And what's my role in this?" I asked.

Keelan answered. "You're gonna accompany her, because - no offense, Walsh - but if things go sideways, I need someone who can drop bodies in a hurry."

"We're hoping it doesn't come to that," Mayor Bradley added, "but we need to be prepared, in case they're hostile. We also need this done quickly. I'm going against a directive here, and it won't be long before the Nexus asks for an update. I'll take the heat for it, if it comes to that, but I'm hoping it won't." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, continuing after a deliberate, determined exhale. "I'm asking a lot from you. You're gonna be on your own - completely. The tension between the Exiles and the Initiative is so delicate right now, we can't afford to cause an incident. If you get found out, we'll deny you, and if you're not back by the time the Nexus gets wind of our plan, you could become an orbital strike casualty along with the rest of 'em. If I had a better option, I'd take it, but-"

"We'll do it," I interrupted. "We'll get in and out, we'll get your intel. When do we ship out?"

"I told you," Keelan said to Bradley, patting me on the shoulder. "Right man for the job." I felt 10 feet tall.

"Best we can tell, it's a two-day journey," Bradley said. "If you can ship out before nightfall, that would be best. That gives you…" he glanced at his watch, "four, five hours?"

"We'll be ready," I said confidently, looking at Josie. She had a concerned, 'are you sure about this?' expression.

"Great," Bradley replied, extending his hand to shake mine. "Good luck."

—

The Kett may have been a formidable enemy on the battlefield, but they sucked at vehicle design. Driving the bulbous, olive-drab land cruiser across the windy plains west of Prodromos made the Nomad seem like a Ferrari. With no climate control to speak of, and no windows to roll down, Josie and I were a sweaty mess within minutes. It was like driving an aluminum storage crate.

We left with a few hours of daylight left, and made better time crossing the featureless, rolling dirt hills than we had anticipated. Night brought much-needed relief from the heat, and though it didn't have air conditioning, our rolling sauna was insulated well enough to keep our teeth from chattering once the radiant heat from the day had worn off.

By midnight, Josie and I were both ready for a break, so we parked the cruiser, bundled up in our thermal "scavenger" cloaks, and stepped outside to stretch our legs. We were situated on the high point of a large plateau that extended for miles in every direction, and the view was incredible. I had only ever seen Eos nights from inside one of our outposts, and since security was such a concern, things were never dark. Now, hundreds of miles from any artificial light source, I got a taste of the night sky at its finest.

"Dear God," I exclaimed, taking it all in like a kid. "Look at all this!"

"It's… incredible," Josie agreed. The sky was filled to the brim with dots of light - more than I had ever seen on Earth. Without giving it a thought, I lay down flat on my back to take in the view better. The ground was cold and hard, just uneven enough to jab me in odd places, but I hardly noticed. After a moment, Josie joined me, groaning as she lowered her body onto the gravelly surface.

"Growing up in the city, we had planetariums, VR stuff…" she said, "but nothing like this. Even in orbit, it wasn't like this."

"See, ya'll city folks think you've got it so much better," I teased. "I used to go out all the time, take my bike past the tree line and just watch shooting stars for hours."

"By yourself?"

"Well, no… but…"

"Ah, I see. So, were you watching, or making out?"

"Watching!" I said, mock-defensively. "Watching… and, okay, _maybe_ there was some smooching involved… but mostly watching. Point is, you could only get views like that out in the heartland, not in those composite skyscrapers."

"Yeah… well at least in the city I learned to say things properly, like 'Temperance."

"Are we still on that?"

She chuckled. "Oh, we can have fun with plenty of other words. Say, 'hundred.'"

"Hundred," I said, matter-of-factly.

"Say, antenna."

"I don't understand this game."

"Do it!"

"Antenna."

"You don't hear that?" She asked. I could hear the smile on her face. "You said 'anTANna.' And 'hunderd."

"No I didn't!"

"You really did."

"I happen to be proud of my heritage," I said. "You're just insecure because you say you're a Texan, but you don't sound like one."

She sighed. "Do you miss it? Home?"

"Every day," I said, melancholy at the thought that I'd never step foot on Earth again. "Several times a day, sometimes."

"Me too." There was silence for a while, as we both thought about that perfect blue & green orb, full of things we took for granted, like water and a magnetosphere, and cheese crackers.

"Think one of those dots is the Milky Way?" I asked eventually.

"I nominate… that one," she said, pointing at the sky.

"Works for me." I never mentioned to her what Grady told me about the Reapers - figured it wasn't gonna do anything positive for anyone to have that pressure on their shoulders - but I thought about it all the time. There was no 'home' in the Milky Way anymore. This was it.

"You never told me what made you leave Earth as a kid," I said after another long pause in the conversation. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. Josie was great to talk to, as long as I didn't mention her past. Usually that made her clam up in an instant, so I was pleasantly surprised when she actually talked this time.

"Parents divorced when I was twelve," she said. "Mom… didn't want to be a mom anymore. She left us, ran off with some big-wig from her job. Sent Christmas and birthday cards, and that was about it."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, it sucked. When I was fourteen, my brother graduated high school, and my dad and I moved to Beckenstein for his job."

"Beckenstein? Wow, fancy. Must've been a really good job."

"It was fancy… and pretentious, and snobby. A bunch of rich kids with no idea of how hard people had to work to make it in the rest of the world. But I was totally the outsider. Dad worked in carbon composites. Ran quality-assurance tests on materials for weapons. It was kinda bor-"

"Wait - your dad worked on human-made guns?" I interrupted. "That's… awesome."

"Glad you think so…"

"I grew up in a military family - I'm a total gun nerd, especially the human-made stuff. Which manufacturer did he work for?"

"It was a big lab that just made the materials. I don't know exactly… I remember they sold mostly to Kassa, but senior year, they got this new contract with the Alliance to work on parts for the N Seven line…"

"N Seven? Seriously? Oh, Jos, you just got a little cooler. My uncle was an N Seven. Saw a lot of combat duty. I remember, he used to let me my brother shoot his Eagle out in the yard."

"Wow - that's a pretty heavy pistol for a kid…"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I was eight, ten… I could barely lift it. Jonathan, though… he was a crack shot. We had this whole shooting gallery we set up with hay bales and random stuff from the garage… man, those were the days."

"I can't believe your parents were ok with a couple of kids playing with live rounds…"

"Well, it was just one kid. Jonathan was a high schooler. And my uncle was out there, too. But Jonathan was the one who really taught me to shoot. Uncle Cade got this big assignment out in the Traverse when I was eleven. Real secretive. Never saw or heard from him again. So, once Jonathan was in the Academy, he was the one who would come to visit and take me shooting. He was… he was the man."

"Must be nice to have a big brother who gave a crap about you…" She said wistfully.

"Yours didn't?"

"Nope. He graduated high school, then ditched, just like mom. Went off to Paris for school. Never looked back."

"Wow. That… stinks. I'm sorry."

"Just what it was. It's okay, really. Made leaving Earth easier."

"Did you ever go back?" I asked, turning to look at her. Even her profile was gorgeous. As nice as the star field above me was, I forgot about it for a moment and admired my fellow spy. There was no angle at which she looked anything short of breathtaking.

"What - to Earth?"

"Yeah."

"Nope. Didn't even visit. Which… I hate now. I wish I would've seen it one last time before coming all the way out here."

"Well… there's no going back now. Gotta make this place home."

"Gee, thanks for the positivity! Still… I could get used to this view," she said with a contented sigh.

We talked for a few minutes longer, but the cold was starting to get to us, so we retreated to the warmth of our vehicle, and curled up on opposite sides of the cargo bay for some sleep.

The next day was virtually nonstop driving. The terrain eventually changed, from desolate, wind-swept plains to wide, gradually deepening channels where water once cut paths through the striated rock. A variety of cacti and spindly bushes grew in thick patches in the deeper ravines, eventually giving way to sparse, tan grass stalks jutting up 6 or 8 feet high in clusters. I campaigned for a small detour to take samples of the plant life out there, but Josie talked me out of it. The mission had to come first. There was no time for for diversions.

Aside from the occasional, slightly awkward bathroom break, we kept the wheels running from the first hint of light until the horizon started turning pink and orange. We talked most of the morning, but as the day went on, Josie started coming down with a cold, or something like it. At first, it was just the occasional cough, but after a few hours, she started wheezing, especially when she was trying to talk over the grinding rumble of the cruiser's motor. She played it off as nothing, but I was a little concerned. Still, the mission was too urgent to turn back for a cold, so we pressed on until, with the last colors of light fading over the mountain ridge to our west, we reached Advent.

A perimeter guard fired a warning shot over the top of our vehicle, which quickly brought a half dozen other humans out there, all armed and intense-looking. It occurred to me that these guys probably thought there was a battalion of Kett in our cruiser. We pulled to a stop and opened the driver's side door, as the cluster of guards inched forward, yelling with guns at the ready. I slowly raised an empty, open hand through the doorway, hoping it would stay intact.

"We're human! Don't shoot!" I shouted.

"Step out slowly, with your hands up!" They demanded. Josie and I obeyed.

"Ease up, boys," she said, with a surprisingly nonchalant tone. "We're just here to trade."

They huddled to discuss something amongst themselves, then addressed us again. "We don't bring outsiders into the city. Stay here and we'll send someone to negotiate with you."

"At night? Out here in the open?" Josie retorted. "You might as well paint a target on us for the Kett. Might as well paint a target on whatever 'city' you're talking about, too."

"They don't know the city," I overheard one of them say. "Maybe a recruit…" another one added.

"How did you find us?" The tallest one asked.

"We've been driving all day," Josie answered, "ran into some Kett back east, so we pushed further out, hunting for Adhi."

Their spokesman looked conflicted, but something she said must've won him over. "The vehicle stays outside our perimeter. That's not negotiable… but you can bring it to the wall. Your quiet friend here stays with us, just in case you get any ideas."

"Nope," she said, stepping forward. "My husband stays with me, or the deal's off."

 _Husband, huh? Guess I could roll with that._

He let out a long, deliberate sigh. "Fine, whatever. Drive slowly. Park where we direct you."

We traveled another quarter mile or so, and came upon a redneck-special wall, made of mismatched shuttle doors, lashed-together tree trunks, and Kett storage crates. After coming from the anal-retentive, everything-must-match Initiative outpost, their 'wall' was just… sad. We parked the vehicle, and after waiting at gunpoint for about 10 tense minutes, a short, sandy-haired man came out to meet us.

"Gentlemen, please - stand down. Let's not negotiate at gunpoint, okay?" He extended his hand to shake ours. "Hi there, I'm Chadwick. Sorry about the, um, _cold_ welcome. We don't get a lot of guests this far out. Have to be careful. I'm sure you can understand…"

"Of course," Josie replied, trying to stifle a cough that eventually got through anyway.

Chadwick's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment, before he continued with eyebrows raised. "Sorgi tells me you're traders… and hunters."

"We've got…" Josie started, slipping into another small coughing fit. It was getting worse. I jumped in to help out.

"We've got Adhi meat and hides… and talons, if you want. More stuff, too - guns, omni-gel…"

"And a Kett truck," Chadwick interjected. "That's… impressive."

"Handles like a drunk rhino," I said with a chuckle, "but it's home. That one's not for sale."

"Well, listen," he replied, somewhat effeminate in his body language and tone. "We don't trade for Alliance materials of any kind. Puts us in a bad light. We're not Exiles, and we don't want to be branded that way, either."

"What he means is, we don't trade with murderers and thieves," one of the armed guards said accusingly. Chadwick put him in his place. "That's enough, Brent. No one's accusing anyone. I'm sure - wait, I didn't get your names…"

"Tallmadge," Josie answered. "He's Grissom, I'm Josie."

"Nice to meet you," Chadwick continued. "I'm sure the Tallmadge's salvaged their initiative gear from poor souls who got overrun by Kett or Adhi's. Far be it from us to accuse. Still… we're not interested in anything from the Nexus or Prodromos. Show me your Kett supplies, though. We're much too short on weapons."

Chadwick seemed impressed with our selection, and we negotiated a deal to send a handful of Kett submachine guns to them in exchange for a box of circuitboards, a few solar panels, and 3 50-gallon barrels of filtered water. Along the way, Josie managed to mine for info under the radar. It was impressive. She may have been exaggerating about combat experience, but she clearly had a talent for this undercover stuff. We learned that they had about 200 residents, all human, but only a handful knew the first thing about handling firearms. They were firmly opposed to the leadership on the Nexus, but disliked the Exiles even more. Most of them ditched the Nexus once news got around about the atmosphere change on Eos, and they simply wanted to peacefully coexist in their little humans-only commune. In truth, they were deserters, but they seemed harmless, and willing to work out diplomatic relations with Prodromos.

Josie did great, and closed a convincing-enough deal, but by the end of nearly an hour of haggling and prodding, her health was really worrying me. The coughing fits were beginning to happen frequently, and would get so severe she would come out of them gasping for air, wheezing so loudly I could hear it a few feet away. Our host noticed, too, joined at that point by a small group of curious bystanders.

"Miss Tallmadge, you really look unwell," Chadwick said, after the deal-closing handshake. "Do you need to sit down?"

"I'm ok-" she tried to get out, but broke into another coughing fit.

He turned to me, with a concerned look. "How long has she been like this?"

"Most of the day," I answered. "Started off light, but-"

"And you drove here from due east?"

"Yes… why?"

"She's got the fever," one of the bystanders said ominously.

I felt her head - she was way too warm.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"We call it pine bush fever," Chadwick explained. "It's unfortunately common for us, here in Advent. We think it's some kind of reaction to the tall, spiky-looking bushes that grow in the old riverbeds."

"Crap. We drove right by those," I said. None of this was making me feel any better.

"Well, you'll have to stay the night here," he said, matter-of-factly. "Most people come through it okay, but you're going to need to sleep it off for a few days."

 _Crap, crap, crap! We don't have a few days_ … I looked Josie in the eyes. She was scared. _Screw the mission. She needs help_.

"I'll pay you for lodging," I offered. "I've got a sniper rifle, that's-"

"They can stay with me," a black-haired man said, stepping out of the small crowd. "I've got the space."

One of Chadwick's furrowed brows raised. "Hannick… do you really think that's a good idea? I mean-"

"It's not contagious," the man - Hannick - argued. He seemed oddly passionate about it. "Janna will be fine. Chad - of all people, I would know. They need help."

"It's your house," Chadwick said with a disapproving-but-relenting shrug. "We're gonna keep an armed guard at your door, though. No offense, mister Tallmadge. Can't be too careful these days…"

Armed guard or not, we didn't seem to have much of a choice, so we accepted. Our host for the night, Hannick, escorted us through an odd assortment of buildings and repurposed hunks of salvage to the mouth of a cave, dimly illuminated by cold white worklights. Inside, the small opening widened to a large dome, with dozens of mismatched doors.

"We dug most of these out ourselves," he explained proudly. "Keeps the temperature steady, protects us from whatever radiation is still out there. C'mon, my place is further down, where the temp is better."

We followed him down a sometimes-slippery decline and through a narrow tunnel into another, slightly smaller dome. Josie was struggling with the exertion, gasping for air at times. I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way down. Eventually, we arrived at a bent metal door, and stepped into Hannick's home.

I was surprised at the relative straightness of everything inside the apartment. Walls, floors, even ceilings were level and squared-off, with narrow, rectangular doorways cut through the solid-stone walls. Shiny metallic thermal tarps served as doors, reflecting the dim, yellowish light of a single lamp in patterns onto the reddish-brown walls. Hannick led me through one of these doorways, into a bedroom that couldn't have been more than 8' x 8', with one of the ubiquitous initiative-grey air mattress taking up the majority of the floor space. He hurriedly brushed a small pile of clothes off, and motioned for me to lower Josie onto it.

"Is this… your bed?" I asked, amazed at his hospitality.

"No, it's um…" he paused, continuing after a moment with a pained smile. "It _was_ my sister's. She passed, about a month ago."

"Oh man, sorry to hear that," I replied, as Josie hacked a dry, unproductive-sounding cough.

"It's part of the frontier life," he said, brushing his moist eyes. "But we all knew the risks, getting into this. Especially in Advent. I mean - you two know that all too well, living totally on your own. To be honest… sometimes I wish things were different, that we could go back to the Nexus and wait it out while someone else did the hard work, but… well, that bridge is burned. If not for me, then certainly for Janna, and… and wherever _she_ is, I'll be."

"Who's Janna?" Josie asked.

"My wife," Hannick answered. "Sorry, I thought I mentioned her already. She should be back anytime now." He glanced at his omni-tool. "Went up to get food rations for tomorrow. Don't worry - we should have enough to spare, at least for breakfast. I should let you rest for a bit. I'll introduce her when she gets here."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Josie and I talked strategy.

"Grissom, we can't stay here and sleep this off for three or four days-"

"I know, I know," I interrupted, "but you're in no shape to travel. How are you feeling?"

She winced as she tried to take a deep breath. "My lungs are burning - like, imagine the worst sore throat of your life, but in your whole chest. And if I try to breathe deep, I just cough, which makes it worse."

"They said it's common, and that it usually-"

"I know - I was there, remember," she said with an almost-smile. "These people are not a threat to Prodromos. We can't let them get bombed. I'll sleep tonight and we can get out in the morning."

"Josie," I replied, shaking my head, "you can hardly walk. Let's just see how the night goes."

"Fine. But if it comes down to it-"

"Mission, mission, I know. Now, try and rest."

About 15 minutes later, we heard the sound of the front door opening. There was a moment of contentious-sounding chit-chat, and then Hannick's voice on the other side of the curtain.

"Hey there - is it alright to come in?"

"Of course," I answered. The foil tarp crinkled loudly as he pulled it aside, and stepped in, followed by a young woman who must have been Janna. The moment I saw her, I understood why they felt the need to leave the Nexus. She was pregnant. Visibly so. From the looks of it, she must've been 4-5 months along. Josie and I were flabbergasted.

"Guys, this is Janna," Hannick began, before placing his hand on the young lady's abdomen, "and this is little Adirion."

"Or, Adiria," Janna added. "It's too early to tell yet, boy or girl."

Josie and I fumbled awkwardly for the words to say. Birth control was a huge concern to the Initiative - fertile women were on mandatory contraceptives until the region was stable enough to start procreating. It was a surgical implant - not the kind of thing that you could easily work around.

"Uh, congratulations," I eventually got the words out, scratching my head. "How…"

"Doctor Rochere removed the block," Janna answered. "Back on the Nexus. Thank God someone had some sense."

"That's… incredible," I replied, trying to work in more information-gathering. "Are there any others?"

"What - here in Advent?" She asked. "I'm not sure if we're supposed to-"

"It's ok," Hannick interjected, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "They're safe. We have ten others, besides Janna. Doctor Rochere is keeping a close eye on them. We've actually got a bet running for who's gonna be the first human born on Eos."

Janna looked at Josie, who seemed to be growing even more pale, though it was hard to tell in the underpowered light. "We have to start producing new humans, especially at the rate we've been losing them. I'll bring you some water, and then you really should let her sleep. She's going to need it."

I didn't like the sound of her warning, or the look of my spy partner. Janna and her husband stepped back outside, and Josie was whisper-shouting before the door-tarp had finished rustling behind them.

"Are you freaking kidding me? Are you, _freaking_ , kidding me? Pregnant?!"

I was caught by surprise by how riled up she was.

"No wonder they don't support Nexus oversight," I said.

"Are they insane? Of all the selfish, stupid things…" she trailed off, lapsing into more wheezing coughs.

"Seriously, Jo, I know it's a little soon, but-"

"A little soon?" She hissed, rasping another cough and grimacing in pain. "You can't bring a child into a world like this! That poor baby doesn't stand a chance. Neither does the mother. Try running from an Adhi with a two-year-old in your arms. Unbelievable!"

I could tell this was a hot-button issue for her, and I didn't want to push it. The last thing she needed was to get all worked up and make the coughing and wheezing worse.

"Well, foolish or not, they're our hosts…"

"Oh, I know. I'm gonna be nice, but _for the love_ …"

"Shh. Try not to talk. You need to relax."

"Yeah," she said, closing her eyes. "Well, I'll try."

I helped Josie sip some water, then left her to rest, and went out to what seemed like the living room, where my hosts were sharing a single cup of tea.

"Oh, hey there," Janna said, motioning for me to come and sit with them on a storage crate-turned seat. "This must be hard on you, seeing your wife like this. When we lost Alicia… it's just tough - watching, knowing there's nothing you can do to help. You should know, though, if she doesn't pull through, you'll be welcome here in Advent. We're always cutting new rooms, and with your skills as a-"

My heart started racing, as my mind caught up with something she said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa - what do you mean, ' _if she doesn't pull through_?'"

Janna was taken back by my question. "Well, the fever… of course. Hannick said she had pine brush fever."

"Yeah, but they said most people sleep it off in a few days…"

She looked at me with pity. "Oh my…"

"Those who _survive_ usually rebound in a few days," Hannick said solemnly. "Alicia wasn't… wasn't one of the lucky ones.'  
An icy cold dread swept through my body, as I took their words in. "There's nothing we can do?"

"Keep her comfortable," he said. "Pray a lot. We'll know in the next twelve hours or so. If she makes it through the night, she's got a good chance to recover.'

12 hours wasn't enough time to get her back to Prodromos. It wasn't even enough time to get back into long-range radio contact. Without a satellite network in orbit, planetary communication was limited to about 200 miles. We were gonna have to weather the storm in Advent.

"I should… I… I've gotta be with her," I stammered, reeling from their prognosis. I went back into the bedroom, and felt her forehead. She was burning up.

"Josie? Are you awake?"

Nothing.

My heart was ripping in two. I couldn't lose her like this. Not after Grady. I knew how to work through grief - I was the only one in the family that ever really recovered when we lost my brother - but I wasn't strong enough yet to lose someone else I cared about, and as I sat there watching her wheeze, I realized Josie was one of those people.

"God - I know you can hear me," I whispered, staring at the smooth rock ceiling. "I figure you're God everywhere, even here. I know we haven't talked in a while. That's… my fault. I'm sorry. You gotta help me though. Please… Josie's a good girl. She's too young to go like this. If you can just get her through the night… and these guys in Advent… help me to get outta here in time to save them, too."

People die. I knew that. Just 'cause God _could_ step in and work some kinda magic doesn't mean that he _would_. Bigger plans for the universe, and all. I knew that, too. It was worth a shot, though. I couldn't just do nothing.

I sat with Josie all through the night, fanning her and putting damp cloths on her forehead like they did in the old classic vids. Her fever got higher, her breathing got shallow and rapid… but she kept breathing. My hosts came to check on her when they woke up in the morning, and they seemed more optimistic about her chances, having made it through the night. Since Janna was pregnant, she was exempt from the manual labor the rest of the residents were obligated to do, so she sat with me as we waited for Josie to wake up.

I learned that Hannick was one of the 3 structural engineers responsible for building the living quarters for Advent. He and the other guys stole a couple of robotic excavators when they left the Nexus, which they used to form their symmetrical, perfectly straight rock walls. I also learned that the folks in Advent had been testing out the local plants as food sources, and figured out how to treat one of the large cactus varieties with saltwater to make it edible. It was still a tense, worrisome day for me, but at least something good came out of it.

Josie finally started to stir early in the afternoon, as her fever broke and her breathing slowed back to normal. Satisfied that she was out of the woods, Janna left me alone with her, and went to run some errands. The thought occurred to me that I might be able to drudge up some more useful intel by snooping through the apartment, but we had already learned as much as we needed to know, and I didn't want to leave Josie alone. It was a good thing I stayed.

Just after 4pm, she coughed a few times, and fluttered those long lashes.

"Hey - Josie, can you hear me?" I asked, so hopeful I was jittery.

"What time is it?" She croaked hoarsely, blinking and trying to focus on me.

"Four in the afternoon. Good Lord…I didn't know if you were gonna make it."

She groaned, repositioning herself in the bed. "I feel like death."

I brushed a few straggling hairs from her forehead and felt it with the back of my hand. "Feels like your fever is a lot better. Do you feel like eating?"

"Ugh. No way." She closed her eyes again for a moment - then, as if the details were finally catching up with her, she grabbed my arm with urgency and looked me in the eyes. "We've gotta get out of here, Grissom. Can you-" she coughed a dry, hoarse cough before continuing, "can you carry me? We need to leave."

"Sleep," I said softly, hand back on her forehead. "We can leave in the morning."

"But-"

" _Sleep_."

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"You're not going anywhere tonight, Josie Walsh."

"Okay. In the morning, then."

She was in and out of sleep the rest of the evening and into the night, and I finally caught a few hours myself, sitting on the narrow band of floor beside her bed. The next day, we thanked our hosts profusely, and slipped out before dawn - eager to get back to Prodromos in time to call off any military action against Advent.

The drive back was long and stressful. Josie slept most of the morning in the storage area, while I drove, pushing the cruiser as fast as it would go. I must've checked the time every ten minutes - or at least, it felt like it - and we kept rolling long after dark. Once we were within 300 miles of the outpost, Josie came back up to the cab and started trying to make radio contact. Finally, she had some luck, and we relayed the basics back to Mayor Bradley. Advent would be safe for the time being; we could relax, catch some sleep, and drive the final 4-5 hours of our trip in the morning.

We powered down the cruiser for the night, and lay down in the back to get some much-needed rest. Well, needed for me, at least. I really wanted to sleep, but Josie was finally feeling better enough to hold a regular conversation, so I stayed up to chat. We covered the highlights of our report, our impressions of the Advent people, our hosts, and Josie's sickness. She went quiet for a long time after that - so long that I thought she fell asleep. I was about to doze off myself, when she spoke up again.

"So, listen… Janna told me about how you were when I was out…"

"What do you mean?" I asked, still flat on my back next to her.

"She said you stayed up all night watching me breathe, said you wouldn't leave me, even to eat."

"Well, I mean… you were really sick."

"I guess I just… I dunno," she said, awkwardly meandering to some point I couldn't figure out. "You kinda took the 'husband and wife' role pretty seriously. She said she could tell how much you cared. So… good job."

"I just did what seemed right," I said cautiously, not sure from her tone if I should be apologizing or taking credit. "It wasn't _that_ weird, was it?"

"She used the term, 'lost puppy.'"

I rolled to face her, leaning up on my elbow. "Sorry, I guess. I couldn't help it. You had me worried sick."

"Yeah," she said, trailing off into another moment of silence. "But, I mean… about the _mission_. I was worried, too. The longer I was laid up, the longer we took to get back-"

"Josie - I was worried about _you_. It had nothing to do with the mission."

"Really?" She asked, turning to face me, her eyes intense and searching. The emotion on her face drew me in, and I was lost for a moment. The dim natural light through the windshield highlighted and shaped her features in an oddly beautiful way, like I was looking at a breathing porcelain doll. The curves of her jaw and cheekbones, strong, but still faintly softened by youth… the tiny flecks of gold that glistened in the starlight against the backdrop of warm brown irises… she was captivating.

"Yeah, really," I said. I was confused - almost hurt - that it was so hard to imagine I cared about her well-being. I had never really been shy about my attempts to befriend her. "Is that… I mean, is it that hard to believe?"

"Sorry, it's just…"

"What?"

"I'm not used anybody caring about me. What they can _get_ from me, sure, but… I guess I don't know how to feel about it. Sorry! Ugh - this is awkward, I just… I'm just not used to it."

Whoever hurt this girl, they deserved a punch in the face. She would be cared for, cared about, as long as I had anything to say about it.

"Hey-" I said, drawing her eyes up to mine. They wore a different expression than I had seen in her before. Vulnerable, uncertain, hopeful. "Get used to it."

Something changed in those pretty brown eyes, as they stayed locked into mine. The air left the room in weightless anticipation, until at last, she leaned up, closing the 12" of space between us and brushing her warm lips against mine. It was soft, unsure, even hesitant - but it didn't need to be. The electricity between us was almost unbearable.

She pulled back just enough to make eye contact again, but I didn't let her stay there for long. Our lips met the second time, but with a totally different intensity level this time. My heart was racing as I slid my hand through her hair, keeping her head pressed to mine, as lips and teeth and tongues danced together in passionate symmetry. She pulled my shirt toward her, I grabbed her hips, and in one swift movement, I was on top of her, legs and arms as entangled as our lips. It had been so long since I'd been romantically attached, I had forgotten what it felt like to have a woman's body next to mine. Neither of us had showered in days, and it didn't matter. This was primal, and I knew exactly where it was headed.

The church-going boy inside me was desperately trying to pump the breaks, to remind me that sex without commitment always makes a mess of things, and I didn't want that. I really liked this girl - I wanted to get it right… but in truth, I knew it was a losing battle. As my hands caressed the deliciously smooth skin of her back, and hers moved to start unzipping and unbuttoning everything between us, I knew I was too far into this nosedive to pull out. There was nothing that could stop this train.

That is, until we heard the sound.

It was a low rumble at first - easy enough to ignore or explain away, and for a few seconds, that's exactly what we did. She kept fumbling in the dark for buttons to undo, I kept exploring her back, her waist… but the sound only grew louder, and we had to give it the attention it deserved.

"What's that?" She asked, freezing. We listened more intently.

"It's a motor," I figured out. "Sounds like another cruiser."

"Crap."

We untangled and crept to the windshield, peering out slowly - and dropping back down in a flash. It was another Kett vehicle, and it was headed right at us.

"Get the guns!" I whispered, moving stealthily to the back of the cargo hold as I redid the buttons Josie had been working so hard to undo.

 _Really? Now?_ I thought, shaking my head. _Freaking_ right now _, of all times?_

We geared up as the vehicle came to a stop, and crept toward the rear hatch. Suddenly, a beam of blinding light poured through the windshield, moving back and forth for a brief moment. Next came the sound of doors opening, feet on the ground, and Kett language being spoken in hushed tones.

I looked at Josie, heart pounding so violently it was hard to keep still. "As soon as they open the door…" I breathed, barely audible. She nodded.

We watched the front doors, but had to change plans fast, as a rattling sound came from the large hatch right behind us. Silently, we turned and readied our weapons. The hatch opened slowly, and as soon as it cleared their torsos, we unleashed a barrage of ammo, dropping two of them instantly. They scattered in confusion, and we took the opportunity to strike. I charged forward, swinging my omni-blade so hard I took the head completely off of one guy, then Josie popped out of the cargo bay just long enough to catch another one through the neck with a perfect shot. The motor on the other cruiser roared to life, but before it could get anywhere, I was at the door, narrowly missing a stomach full of plasma as the driver fired blindly at me. I slipped a grenade through the open doorway, then dropped, rolling out of the way of the blast, as pieces of Kett came flying out of the cab, along with the door. Crisis averted.

We looted what we could from the other vehicle, and decided it was in our best interest to drive through the night and get back to Prodromos as soon as possible. Josie offered to drive, and I had every intention of keeping her company, but as soon as the adrenaline of the fight wore off, I was out cold. I didn't wake until we pulled to a stop at the western security checkpoint.

"Walsh, Wade - welcome back," the guard addressed us, reading something from her omni-tool. "I've been instructed to direct you to Commander Taylor's office at once."

"Seriously? Right now?" Josie asked, surprised and a little concerned.

"Yes ma'am. He said it's urgent."

My stomach turned, as I imagined the worst. Poor Hannick and Janna, and little unborn baby what's-his-face, burned to a crisp in an orbital strike. We rushed into Keelan's office to find him pouring over 3D images of a planetscape I didn't recognize.

"Taylor - about Advent," I started. He cut me off sharply.

"Never mind about Advent," he said. "We've got a bigger issue. The whole militia's been called up. Ryder needs us for a joint strike against the Kett. We ship out in eight hours, and I need you with me." He nodded at Josie. "Both of you. Have you slept?"

"A little," I replied, "but whatever you need-"

"I need you at your best," he answered. "Go get some sleep, Wade. 'Cause tomorrow, we're gonna kick some Kett ass."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and by the way," he said, walking over to hug me first, then offer a handshake to Josie, "damn good to see you two back in one piece. You can brief me on the shuttle ride tomorrow. Now, go get your butt in bed."

I walked out of the building side by side with Josie, head still reeling from this new assignment, the Kett fight on the plains… and what it interrupted.

"Well… good night, then," she said awkwardly. "Or, I guess it's more like good morning at this point."

I knew I wasn't likely to sleep a wink in my bunk, but I had to try. My mind may have been sprinting, but my body was hard-tired - the achy, exhausted kind. There was a conversation with Josie that really needed to happen, but it would have to wait just a little bit longer.

I sighed, and cracked a tired smile. "Goodnight, Josie."


	4. The Voeld Offensive

The shuttle launchpad was overcrowded, as nearly 100 militia members gathered in the morning sunlight, awaiting their ship assignments. I pushed through the bodies until I found Josie. She looked tired, and still a bit unwell, but even so, there was an attractiveness to her face that couldn't be dampened. She smiled as we made eye contact, speaking into my ear over the noise of the crowd.

"Long time, no see! Did you sleep?"

"Like a drunk baby on tranquilizers," I said. It was a total lie. I tossed and turned for 4 of my 6 available hours of sleep. "You?"

"Yeah, I guess. Had to check in with the nurse first to get blood drawn so they can study this pine bush fever thing. They gave me a cough suppressant. It's helping a bit."

"Are you sure you're okay to be here?" I asked.

"Taylor wants me," she shrugged. "I'll manage."

There was an awkward tension between us - we still hadn't talked about the kiss, and all the other kisses, and the beyond-kissing stuff… it was a whole herd of elephants in the room.

"So, um… about last night," she started. My heart took off like a race horse out of the gate. This was the talk that kept me tossing and turning through the night.

"Yeah, I guess we should talk about it."

"Listen, I'm… I don't know what…" she huffed an exasperated sigh. "We were tired, we were emotional - well, _I_ was emotional. It was an unusual situation, and…"

"And what?" I asked, scared to find out where she was going with all this.

"And I don't expect you to, y'know… I'm not gonna hold you to anything you said or did. I'm not clingy - it's just not who I am."

I grabbed her hand. "Josie - I meant everything I said."

She pursed her lips and looked away. "Maybe you shouldn't."

"What are you talking about?"

She looked over my shoulder. "Never mind - they're about to start. Talk later?"

I didn't want to talk later. I wanted to talk right then, but she was right. They were calling out shuttle assignments. The bulk of our troops went on 2 large personnel carriers on loan from the Nexus, while a handful of elite fighters boarded smaller, more maneuverable shuttles. I was on the lead shuttle with Keelan this time, along with Cho, Landingham, and Leighton Royce. It was originally just the 5 of us, but I convinced Keelan to bring Josie along on our strike team shuttle. Not that I felt that strongly about her fighting skills, but I wanted to keep an eye on her. She still wasn't feeling 100 percent, though she wouldn't let anyone else see that.

Keelan briefed us on the way. The attack was going to be the largest in the Initiative's brief history - a joint effort between the Eos militia, the Pathfinder Team, the Nexus' elite strike teams, and a sizable force from another indigenous species - the Angara. We had a tenuous peace with them - mostly because of our common enemy, the Kett. The target was a major military compound on the frozen battleground planet, Voeld. The Kett were holding one of the Angaran's most influential leaders there, and the Pathfinder Team would be sneaking in to break her out and win the Initiative some goodwill with our new neighbors.

Our job with the Militia was to create a distraction large enough to allow Pathfinder Ryder and his team to slip in with minimal resistance. To accomplish that plan, we would be attacking a large air base several miles from the main compound. It was dangerous, to be sure, but I felt better knowing I was back under Keelan Taylor's command. He was a fearsome warrior and a clever tactician. I was in good hands.

It was night when we arrived, and I got a new definition of the word 'cold.' It must've been 100 below zero in the ice cave we used for a joint staging area, and even with a temperature-regulated hardsuit, I was shivering nonstop. Once the time was right, we loaded our weapons and headed to our target, attacking just before dawn. The shuttles dropped us off with the rest of the Militia, just outside the 10-story tall airbase. While the rank & file grunts pushed ahead and engaged the base's ground defenses, Keelan and Eos Team A slipped through the fray, and fought our way inside the base.

Once we had evaded their frontline defenses, we started looking for high-level targets to hit. The lower level floors appeared to be mostly storage for spacecraft and fuel, but after sneaking our way up to the 6th floor, we found just the thing - the main hangar bay. It was massive - easily 600 feet across, and about 50 feet high, with row after row of Kett fighters covering the grey metallic floor. Royce had enough explosive ordinance with him to disable a half a dozen ships or more, while potentially staying hidden (and safe). Keelan had a more ambitious idea - rather than plant the explosives on ships at the back of the bay, we could use them on the opening mechanism of the hangar doors themselves, and potentially ground the entire cluster of 30-40 ships. His plan certainly had more destructive potential, but it came at a price. Targeting the weak points in the doors would leave our team exposed and vulnerable to a counter-attack, especially Royce, who had to plant and arm the bombs. He whisper-argued his case, but Keelan outranked him, so we went with the riskier plan.

We crept silently through the hangar bay, keeping to the shadows on the side of the enormous room, and slitting a few throats along the way. As soon as we were in position, Royce got to work, climbing up the drive mechanism for the right side of the door so he could wedge black and grey nylon-wrapped explosive sacks in between the teeth of the movement gears. For about 30 seconds, I thought we were actually going to get away with it without a fight, but someone spotted us, and Kett started pouring in, guns blazing.

"Cho, Landy - get a barrier on Royce now!" Keelan shouted to our biotic team members. They took cover nearby and held something like an energy forcefield around our explosives expert. "Wade - let's charge these bony punks and buy hime some time. Walsh - cover us."

Keelan and I rushed forward, meeting the Kett about halfway through the room. I took aim along the way, and attacked with calculated bursts from my M8 assault rifle. Kett soldiers could be hard to bring down - they had natural armor on their chest and head, like dense, exterior bone. Their leathery grey necks, however, were soft and ripe for piercing with bullets. I painted the hangar floor with greenish-brown Kett blood, dropping 3 of them before getting to cover behind an insect-looking shuttle. I should've been Swiss cheese, running across that much open ground, but I was fighting with Keelan Taylor.

I hadn't seen combat action with Keelan in years - I'd forgotten just how much butt he could kick. He was a powerful biotic, but instead of focusing his training on protective fields or lifting enemies off the ground, he used his telepathic abilities to launch _himself_ through space. He was a great marksman, but did most of his damage up close, using a 2-foot-long turian-made combat blade he brought with him from the Milky Way. While I made my dash to cover, he charged forward with biotics, covering 40 feet in the blink of an eye, and plunging his blade into his enemies with so much force, it didn't matter whether he hit bone, or soft neck skin, or solid metal.

Keelan and I ended up on opposite sides of the cluster of Kett, and started cutting them down methodically, with the occasional assist from Josie's sniper rifle. We kept shooting, but they kept coming. Eventually, their numbers were gonna overwhelm us. While I stepped out of cover to hit another enemy, a close-range plasma shot hit me right in the abdomen. If it hadn't been for my hardsuit's deflection shields, I would've been missing my intestines. The blast staggered me, and a handful of Kett rushed by, closing in on Royce and the other biotics, who were working too slowly for our plan to hold up. I risked stepping out of cover again to try and nail the runners from the back, but I took too much heat from the still-large group in between me and Keelan, and had to get back to safety.

Cho broke off his guard duty to work some offensive biotic magic, throwing a few of the attackers against a large bomber, but Brooke wasn't strong enough to keep up the barrier on Royce - who was now on the second of the two door gears. He got hit, losing his grip and falling 20 feet or so to the floor.

"Wade!" Keelan yelled over the radio, still zig-zagging across the battlefield and stabbing Kett, "Royce is down. Get back there and plant those charges. I'll cover you."

It was a lot of ground to travel without any decent cover. The kinetic barrier on my suit was good, but it wasn't strong enough to deflect more than a handful of projectiles before failing. I trusted Keelan, though. I took a deep breath, and tightened my grip on my rifle, but before I could turn the corner to make a run for it, I felt a stabbing pain in my right leg. I yelled as I turned to see a wraith - a genetically modified Adhi trained for battle - with his teeth sunk into my calf. I fired off a shot, but missed, as the creature yanked me off my feet, and began dragging me in the opposite direction. I kicked furiously at his face with my other leg, but by the time he let go, there were two more pouncing on me. I crawled backward on my hands and feet, getting an omni-blade into one of them, but the first attacker was back, and it was all I could do to hold back his head far enough to keep him from ripping my throat out. I snuck a glance at the main group of Kett - they were about to overrun Keelan and get to the rest of the team, but there was nothing I could do. Things looked hopeless, until the wraith went limp, taking me to the floor under his suddenly-incapacitated body. Another shot eliminated the third wraith, leaving me safe for the moment, but pinned under the surprising weight of the dying animal on top of me.

I started to push the dead wraith off of me, then froze, as another group of 5 or 6 Kett came rushing right past me. I played dead long enough for them to get by me, then slid out from under the carcass to flank them. My M8 had been lost during the scramble with the wraiths, but I still had my pistol. I quickly drew it and cut the whole group down before then knew what hit them. I knew I needed to get back to the second gear assembly to finish those explosive charges, but when I started to sprint, I tumbled right to the ground. In the rush of adrenaline, I forgot that my leg was in such bad shape. I looked down to check - it was covered in blood from the knee down, even with the hardsuit's emergency auto-scabbing. No amount of medi-gel could seal up that large of a wound. Thankfully, the rest of the mission was still on track.

"Charges are armed," Keelan reported over the radio. "Time to bail. Get to the north wall. We're gonna blow that window out and jump. Shuttle's waiting."

I looked across at the wall he was talking about. With my bad leg, there was no way I would get there in time.

"I'm hit," I replied. "Won't make it there in time. Go without me, I'll find another w-"

"Screw that, I've got him," Josie interjected. I turned to see her sneaking under a Kett aircraft behind me. "Can you walk?" She said, as she ran to me, helping me to my feet.

"Yeah, but we'd better hurry." There were still plenty of Kett in the room, and most of them were directly between us and the escape door. It was suicide.

The north window shattered with the concussion of a grenade, and the rest of the team made their escape.

"Wade, can you get back downstairs?" Keelan asked, as Josie and I retreated to another hiding place, safe for the moment while the remaining Kett in the room responded to the explosion. "There's an observation platform on the floor below you. We'll swing around and pick you up, but you gotta make it fast. It's crazy out here."

"We'll get there," I said, limping with all my might toward the nearest staircase. With Josie's help, I got all the way down, and was close to the platform, when a spray of bullets buzzed across our path, overwhelming our kinetic barriers. Josie and I dove for cover behind a metal crate of some kind, but the bullets kept pouring, and the crate started to crumple with their impact. I rolled to my side to try and line up a shot. The enemy was a new one - a taller, wider Kett, with a massive gatling gun that kept pouring ammo nonstop. I missed my shot, and felt the sting of what must have been a ricochet from beside me, as it hit my right hand.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the floor, as Royce's explosives went off upstairs. It was enough of a disruption to cause a break in the storm of ammo coming from the gatling gun.

"Now's our chance," I yelled to Josie, as the Kett yelled instructions of his own. "I'll distract him. You bring him down."

I pulled my last grenade and lobbed it in his direction, lurching to my feet the moment it exploded and firing blindly through the flames and smoke. I didn't hit him, but he didn't hit me, and Josie put a bullet right through his jaw. I ran back to what was left of the metal crate to get Josie, and found her still on the ground. A tiny stream of pressurized air was spraying from her helmet. My heart stopped.

"Josie!" I yelled, as I rolled her over. She was still breathing, but gasping desperately. The oxygen levels on Voeld were nowhere close to breathable for a human with healthy lungs, much less one who was still getting over sickness.

"Can't… breathe…" She blurted, trying in vain to plug the hole with her fingers.

"Let's go, let's go! We're almost there," I shouted, glancing behind us to see what looked like more enemies approaching from the same staircase we came down. "We can do this!" She nodded, and _I_ helped _her_ this time, the both of us limping the final 30 feet or so to the rendezvous point. I saw the shuttle drop into place, and the side hatch open, as bullets flew by in the sky behind it.

"Hurry!" Keelan yelled, stepping out onto the platform with his gun drawn. He ran right past us, firing in the direction of the Kett who were catching up. Cho reached out once we were on the platform, pulling Josie in first, then me. Keelan fired one last burst into the crowd, then in a flash, he spanned the distance back to the shuttle, landing on the floor beside me as we took off.

Inside the safety of the shuttle, my only thought was Josie.

"She lost pressure," I said frantically, as Brooke stepped over to help.

"I know," she replied, scanning Josie's helmet carefully.

"She needs oxygen!" I said.

"I _know_ ," Brooke replied, gingerly removing the helmet, and placing a mask over Josie's mouth and nose. "Breathe deep."

I removed my helmet as well, watching with a knot in my stomach, until her color started to come back, and her eyes focused on Brooke.

"Better?" She asked Josie. Josie nodded, and then turned and spotted me. Her warm, emotive eyes narrowed below fiercely furrowed brows, and out of nowhere, she punched me in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!" I yelled, more surprised than hurt. "What was that for?"

"Playing dead?" She said, pulling the oxygen mask away to talk in between breaths. "Seriously?"

"Sorry?"

"I thought…" she started, brows still pulled together, pausing to take another breath. "Thought I _killed_ you. Oh my god, Grissom…. Please don't ever do… that again."

Her expression changed from anger to concern, as she placed a hand on my cheek. "You've gotta quit being… so careless with your life. We… we can't lose you."

My eyes fixated on hers for a long moment. I had a feeling that " _we_ " was really " _I_ can't lose you," and I was more than ok with that.

"No promises," I answered with a smile. "But I'll try."

I fell asleep on the shuttle ride back, and after getting my leg stitched up at the infirmary, I slept most of the next day on Eos, only waking when I did because Keelan needed to speak with me again. This time, there was no one else in his office, and he asked me to sit.

"I've got good news and bad news," he started. "Good news is, the operation on Voeld was a success. Ryder's team got in, got the Angaran leader out, and blew their base to hell."

"Great! And the bad news…"

"Bad news is, we took heavy losses, especially Apex. Echo and Foxtrot were practically wiped out… which is why you're here. Tiran Kandros { _Tiran Kandros - a Turian security guard-turned leader of the Nexus milita, including Apex_ } asked me to lead Apex Team Echo, and I've got room to bring two of my own people with me."

"Seriously?" I asked, radiating with pride.

"For real, man. Apex is the best of the best. Top-shelf gear, better lodging, and real food - no more of that nutrient-bar crap. For guys like you and me, it's the best assignment in Andromeda. You in?"

"Hell yes," I said, without a moment's hesitation. "Who else is coming?"

"It'll be you and Cho," he answered. "You two impressed the crap outta me - and not just on Voeld. You earned this."

"I don't know what to say… I'm speechless."

"Say your goodbye's," he replied. "Shuttle will be here tomorrow to pick us up. Training starts a.s.a.p." He stood up, and extended a handshake. "Glad to have you on board."

 _Shuttle? Oh wait - the Nexus. Apex is stationed on the Nexus. But… Josie…_

I shook his hand and went back to my bunk, ecstatic about the opportunity, but conflicted about the distance from Josie. Would I be able to visit during time off? Would I even _have_ time off? Would it matter to her either way? It was a lot to chew on.

Mayor Bradley granted all the militia fighters who were on Voeld a 2-day break from manual labor to get rested up, so I had time to collect my things and tell my friends. Josie was the first one I looked for. It took a while, but I eventually found her on the other side of the valley ridge, reading a book on the shore line of a huge lake.

"Good book?" I asked.

"It's a classic," she answered with a squinting smile. "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Rona Carlin brought it with her from back home. She let me borrow it."

"Nice. Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," she said, as I took a seat next to her, looking across the large body of water. "Can I see the leg?"

I pulled up my pants and showed her the wounds where the wraith sunk its teeth into me.

"Yikes! Does it hurt bad?"

"I'm on a lot of pain killers. It's… bearable. Doc says I should heal up just fine in a few weeks. Im used to having a jacked up leg… it's nothing new. How's your breathing?"

"I'm good. Feeling good. So, listen… I uh, wanted to say sorry - for hitting you. I mean, what are we - thirteen?"

"Don't worry about it. Sorry I made you think you murdered me," I said with a wink.

"It _was_ a nice a shot, though, wasn't it?"

"It was a _hell_ of a shot. Guess I was wrong about you."

"You were right. I was really rusty coming out of cryo, but that stuff, it comes back to you."

"It definitely does," I agreed, trying to think of a way to stall. I wasn't ready to tell Josie about leaving yet, but I only had so much time. It was now or never. "So… I came out here 'cause I have something I need to tell you."

He face suddenly turned from pleasant to uneasy and concerned. It didn't take a genius to figure out I was nervous. I continued.

"Commander Taylor called me into his office this morning - he's taking over one of the Apex teams… and… he asked me to serve under him there."

"On the Nexus?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

"Well… I mean, what _could_ I say? It's Apex. And Taylor - he… and Grady… they're the ones who talked me into coming out here in the first place. Working with them is the whole reason I signed up. So I told him 'yes.'"

"Oh."

She looked away, turning her face back toward the lake. Her response was hard to read - was she upset? Sad? Indifferent?

"I know it's a distance," I continued after a short pause, "but I'll see if I can visit on my time off. Or maybe you could catch a shuttle over there…"

"Why?" She asked, looking back at me with shrugged shoulders. I could tell she was holding something back. Anger, maybe?

"I just… I thought-"

"Grissom," she began, sighing as she shook her head slightly. "It is what it is. You'll be there, I'll be here. There's no reason to make this into something it's not. I get it. This is your dream. So… go live it. I'm fine."

I was surprised and hurt by how nonchalant she was about it. I wasn't expecting a tearful goodbye… or maybe I _was_ expecting it. Come to think of it, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

"Josie…"

"Look, I'm happy for you," she said unconvincingly, still staring at the lake. "When do you ship out?"

"Tomorrow."

There was a long pause.

"Well, you should probably go and get your stuff packed, then. See you around."

Her voice was emotional. I knew she cared more than she let on, but I didn't know what to do. I sat for a moment longer, trying to think of something to say, hoping she would at least turn to look at me, or give me a hug, or… something. There was nothing. I hated, _hated_ leaving Josie on Eos, but at the same time, I couldn't deny the excitement of an assignment like this. I had been working my whole life to get this kind of opportunity, and I just couldn't pass it up. I looked at the brown haired beauty beside me, still silently looking off across the lake. I'd be back for her, or find a way to get her to the Nexus with me. It was just a matter of time. Reluctantly, I gave up, rising back to my feet.

"See ya' around, Josie."


	5. Apex Echo

Strawberry cream soup. Pan-seared Thessian sunfish with a maple-walnut glaze, set over a bed of arugula and steamed asparagus. Fresh-baked sourdough bread with rosemary-garlic dipping sauce, and a generous slice of tiramisu on a chilled plate. I stared in wonder at the meal on my tray, not sure whether I should eat it, or take a picture of it first. The blue-eyed asari behind the counter looked concerned.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, politely. "I checked for any registered food allergies…"

"No, it's awesome," I answered, watching the steam rise from the artistically-arranged plate. "It's just - is this for real?"

She chuckled with a knowing smile. "We take care of our teams here. Welcome to Apex."

I thanked the server with a nod, and headed across the grandiose dining hall to meet up with my new roommates, stopping along the way to stare slack jawed at the ceiling. The large, transparent dome gave a breathtaking view of a starry sky, striped with arching, silver supports that merged seamlessly to a point about 30 feet overhead. It was the very definition of luxury in excess. Really, every part of the Nexus I'd seen since arriving as a member of Apex had been a little over-the-top. The medical facility, the Apex conference room & lounge, even my apartment had a veneer of luxury on it.

Looking back down, I saw the guys waving me over. Devin Cho was seated next to my other new roommate, a gregarious Apex veteran named Jake Hester. The three of us were going to share a generously-sized 3-bedroom apartment, one floor below the luxury suites where the highest levels of Nexus leadership lived. I took a seat at the round, glass-top counter-height table and said a quick prayer of thanks over my ornate meal.

Hester watched intently, as I took my first bite of fish. It was the first real meat I'd had in months, and the flaky white flesh melted like a chunk of heaven in my mouth. I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing faintly in the background.

"Oh, dear God in heaven," I muttered, taking my time to savor the bite before swallowing. Hester laughed, grinning from ear to ear.

"I told you, bro. This is the good life."

From the moment I stepped off the shuttle from Eos, Jake had taken it upon himself to be my official tour guide. He was one of those guys who always made his presence felt in the room - both with his voice, which just projected loudly by default, and his stature. He was about an inch taller than I was - maybe 6'2" or so, but easily 20-30 pounds heavier, and I wasn't exactly a wiry-framed guy. His jet-black hair was buzzed short on top, offset by a beard so dense and long that it looked like a 4-inch extension of his jaw. His unnaturally-light blue eyes had to have been gene-mods { _Gene-mod - slang for human traits which were engineered in utero, typically cosmetic. The practice was common among affluent humans, before being outlawed in Earth Alliance space_. }, and looked even more dramatic surrounded by eyelashes so thick he almost looked like he was wearing eyeliner.

"I almost feel guilty for eating this," I said, mouth full with another bite. It was unsettling to think of the thousands of Initiative personnel who were on the edge of malnutrition while I was feasting on tiramisu.

"Don't," he countered, downing his dessert in huge bites. "We're the ones putting our asses on the line to keep this place afloat. Trust me, bro. You're gonna earn this. For now, just enjoy it."

"Is the food always like this?" Cho asked.

"Oh yeah," he answered. "Massania, the asari chick at the counter - she's the chef for the leadership board. Studied cooking in Paris, Serrice, Talat… all over. It's like living in a freaking cooking show, dude. Ribeye, sushi, and the desserts… This is a sweet gig." He paused a moment to take a swig of what looked like a stout beer, and continued, folding his crisp, linen napkin as he talked. "So, now that we've got a few, tell me about yourselves. Cho, Where'r you from? Why'd you come here?"

Cho seemed a little caught off-guard, but he complied. "Okay, let's see, uh… grew up lower class on Olor { _Olor - a human colony on a salarian-run planet. Known for dramatic income inequality between wealthy salarians and poor humans_ }, moved to Zakera { _Zakera - one of the five wards of the Citadel, generally considered to be a lower-class income level_ } when I was seventeen, stayed there until I boarded the Hyperion."

"I get it," Hester said, nodding a little too demonstratively. "So, you joined the Initiative to get outta the slums?"

"My life wasn't going anywhere. I wanted a higher ceiling."

Hester looked up. "High enough for ya?" He laughed at his own joke for a moment. Cho forced out a courtesy chuckle."See what I did right there?" Hester said. "Aw, c'mon, lighten up brosephus. Gotta loosen up the mood a little."

"This is me loosened up," Cho said with a shrug.

"Yeah… ok. Fair enough. We'll work on that. Wade - your turn."

"I'm an Earth boy all the way. Texas proud. Um… enlisted at twenty-one, one-oh-third Marine Corps. I came out here because…" I stalled, trying to decide what to say. The truth was too raw, but maybe something like a portion of the truth with a positive spin… "because I wanted to do something like this. Like Apex."

"Hmm. Not sure if I buy that, but ok. Hell, less than a year and you already made it! You can die a happy man."

"What about you," Cho asked Hester.

"Navy brat, grew up on ships all over the place. Spent six years in C-sec spec-ops working under a few badass Spectres { _Spectre - a special agent appointed by the Citadel Council to keep the peace, with very little oversight or regulations to dictate how the job gets done_ }, and I left that job and came to the ass-end of nowhere because I owed the wrong people a lot of money."

"You left the Milky Way to run away from a debt?" I asked skeptically.

"Alright, so - long story, but I owed a certain Salarian about six hundred k."

"You ran up a _six hundred thousand_ credit debt?" Cho asked, incredulous.

"And another two hundred or so from a blood pack Krogan."

"Holy cow!" I said. "How?"

"A lot of gambling. And 2 apartments on Sunset Strip. _And_ some really bad investment advice. Good news is, they're all long-gone, and here I am, debt free with a full belly. Thank you, Nexus. Speaking of which," he continued, leaning in and lowering his voice, "you guys should know a few things about how politics work around here. Jarun Tann is the director, but only because all the leadership died when we hit the scourge. He kicked the Exiles out, and the Krogan, and he's basically a colossal prick. But, he's in charge, so be careful who you say that around. On the other hand, Tiran Kandros is a straight-up boss. He doesn't care how you get stuff done, as long as it gets done. But he's a real hard-ass about anything political. There's a rumor going around that he was in on the whole Exiles-to-Kadara thing, so that's a sensitive subject. He doesn't always get along with Tann, but he won't disobey orders. Also, every once in a while you might have to deal with Foster Addison from Colonial Affairs. She's a fire-breathing dragon. Don't think she was born with a 'smile' feature on that face. Avoid at all costs, unless you enjoy getting your butt chewed off."

"Okay, that helps," I said, trying to commit the details to memory. "Anything else we should know?"

He thought for a moment. "Oh - _I'mmmmm_ gonna need the apartment to myself for a few hours tonight. Made some plans with a foxy blue lady before you two were assigned to my - I mean, _our_ \- place."

"A few hours?" Cho asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Uh - _yeah_ , bro. She's a freakin' animal. You guys can hang in the lounge, or explore the commons, or whatever floats your boat. And don't worry - you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You need the apartment for a while, just say the word. There's plenty of azure { _Azure - slang for asari genitalia, considered crude in most circles_. } to go around in this place, fella's. _No joke_. Or… women, if you're not into asari. … or, dudes I guess. I'm not judging. But - it's not dudes, is it? I mean, I wasn't really getting that vibe, and not that it would be weird, but… okay, yeah, it might be a little weird, since I'm a dude, but, uh… yeah, lot's of azure."

"We'll give you space," Cho said, rolling his eyes.

Eventually, Hester's alien booty call left, and I was able to sleep on an actual, non-inflatable mattress. I felt like a king. I spent the next 2 weeks rehabbing my wraith-bitten leg, eating gourmet meals, and training with new, top-of-the-line equipment. My Apex hardsuit was a rebranded N7 issue combat suit - lightweight and way more durable than the standard-issue initiative stuff. The well-stocked Apex armory had everything from pistols to grenade launchers, and all of it was accessible to me. I ended up with an N7 { _N7 - An elite, invitation-only special forces branch of the Alliance military, analogous to the US Navy's Seal Team Six, or Army's Delta Force_ } Valkyrie - a heavier, but more accurate and powerful semi-auto assault rifle, and a modified Carnifex pistol. It wasn't the biggest or strongest, but it was just like the one I used to carry back in my days running counter-terrorism with Keelan. It felt 'right' in my hand.

Even without a mission, life on the Nexus kept me busy. I did my best to keep up with Josie via email, but there were only 2 functional QEC's { _QEC - Quantum entanglement communicator, a physics-defying device that allows instantaneous communication over vast distances through carefully-matched individual pairs._ } between the Nexus and Eos HQ, and bandwidth was limited. Personal messages would sometimes be backlogged for days. Initially, there was no response back from her, but I knew she was busy on her end, too. I wasn't too concerned about it.

My physical therapist cleared me for action after 16 days of rehab, and on day 18 of my Apex career, I finally had my first mission. It was a search-and-rescue operation on a hostile planet - not that different from covert ops I used to run with Keelan. A shuttle carrying a handful of asari had crash-landed on Kadara a few weeks back, leaving the passengers stranded in the badlands outside Kadara Port. According to one of the survivors, they escaped from the still-M.I.A. asari Ark, the _Leusenia_ , and the flight-recorder on the damaged shuttle might be able to give the Initiative a lead on where to find it. I was pumped - it was finally time to break into the big leagues

The shuttle ride to Kadara was a long one, which gave me time to chat a bit with the rest of the newly-formed Apex Echo team. Raik Brann was a typically-sized Krogan - just a shade over 7' tall and tipping the scales at 450lbs or so. He had an almost dinosaur-esque look, with brown alligator-tough skin and yellow-green markings around his armored head-plate. As if his hulking size wasn't intimidating enough, he had wide-set amber eyes that always seemed to be watching you. It was a little unsettling, but then, I'd never really worked up close with a Krogan before, so it was probably just my human prejudice at work. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though his temper could be volatile, even on a good day. I tried to stay on his good side.

Rounding out the team was a lanky Salarian, Ozz Medrilo. He was short as far as Salarians go - only about 6' even, and his grey-skinned, cartilage-filled body couldn't have weighed more than 100lbs. Ozz was intelligent and talkative, but usually spewed words out so fast that it was hard to track with him. He was a nervous wreck on the shuttle, and I could understand why - when Kandros sent Apex Foxtrot to Voeld, Ozz was the only one who came back alive. It was probably too soon to get him back in the saddle, but we needed a tech guy, and he was one of the best.

After an hour and half on the shuttle, I had endured about all the hand-wringing nervous talk I could take from Ozz. Cho was deep in a book, Brann and Hester were both engaged in a snoring duel, and Keelan was writing some kind of report for the Nexus brass, so I meandered up to the front of the shuttle to talk for a bit with our tour guide - an asari refugee from the Leusenia. She was tall - about 5'10," with long, slender limbs that were gaunt from weeks of malnutrition after her shuttle crashed on Kadara. There was an obvious exhaustion on her face, but you'd never know it from her posture - she sat properly in the synthetic leather seat with all the elegance of a ballerina.

"Mind if I join ya'll up here for a while?" I asked, as I stepped into the cockpit.

She cracked a weary smile. "Not at all."

"Grissom Wade," I introduced myself, extending my hand. She placed hers gingerly in mine, and I consciously eased up on my grip.

"I'm Paladra Therios," she replied, in the silky-smooth tone asari were known for. "Nice to meet you."

"So, first of all, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for everything you've been through. Hell of a way to wake up from cryo."

She sighed deeply, with weary sadness between her eyebrows. "It's been very difficult, but I'm the lucky one. I had to leave a friend behind… I can only hope we make it there in time to save her."

"What happened? Or do you not wanna talk about it?"

"We were set upon by bandits, she chose to stay behind so the children and I could escape. It's… a long story."

"Children?" I asked, surprised and saddened.

"Amara is eleven, and Nicene's nine."

"Wow. I didn't even know we had children on the arks. Are they, um - are they yours?"  
"Oh - no," she replied, "but I do feel responsible for them. They lost their mothers to the Kett when the Leusenia was under siege. They've seen such terrible things… _terrible_ things. Poor girls…" Tears welled up in her golden eyes as she trailed off, and I couldn't help but notice how very human she looked. She had an attractive face - in more of a down-to-earth way than a glamorous, 'ooh-la-la' sort of way. I couldn't quite put my finger on why, but there was a kindness and warmth to her features… and a familiarity to them. From the symmetrical curves of her nostrils to her straight white teeth beneath bowed, chapped lips… if you didn't know better, you'd think she was a mid-twenties woman with light-blue face paint. The likeness made me even more sympathetic to her hardship.

"But they're safe now, right? The girls?"  
"Yes, they're being well looked after on the Nexus," she said, brushing a solitary teardrop from her cheek. "It's only Thalera who's still in danger. And… whoever's still on the ark."

I placed a hand on her shoulder without thinking, speaking in a softer tone. "We'll get 'er. And the shuttle. We'll find your friends."

"Thank you," she replied, wiping away a fresh round of tears as she leaned away. "I'm sorry, but I'm very tired. I'd like to try and catch some sleep before we arrive…"

"Sure thing," I said, retreating to my seat for the rest of the trip.

—

Kadara looked habitable from orbit - a brown and green globe with white wisps of clouds, rotating in the shadow of a black hole. Keeping with protocol, we contacted port authority at the capital and largest settlement, Kadara Port, to request permission to land. Their answer was an emphatic "no," communicated in language so obscene it would make a sailor blush. Turns out our shuttle I.D. was registered in the system as an Apex vessel (though, how the Exiles got access to that info was a mystery), and since there was a standing Apex-funded bounty for the head of their leader, Sloane Kelly, we weren't too high on their list of favorite people. After a brief exchange over the radio, Keelan came back from the cockpit, nostrils flared and bristling with anger.

"Huddle up, guys," he instructed, as the team circled in the middle of the shuttle, joined by Paladra. "It would _appear_ we've had an information leak, and the Exiles know this is an Apex shuttle. Sloane's people made it clear that they have orders to shoot on sight, and if we try to land in the port, it'll be considered an act of war."

"Well, that sucks," Brann said flatly, in a tone octaves deeper than I could reach.

"What's our plan, then?" Ozz asked. "We can't just go back empty-handed. Kandros would throw a fit. But then, if we stir up the Exiles, Tann will skin us alive, and if we infuriate Tann, and survive his wrath, _Kandros_ will skin us alive. I'm… not liking either of those scenarios. I mean, no offense, miss Therios, but it's not worth starting a war over."

Paladra's eyes started glistening again, darting back and forth between Keelan and Ozz in fierce disbelief. "But… we can't just turn and run. Thalera is still down there, she -" she paused, trying to reign in her emotions. It didn't work. "she may still be alive…" her voice cracked.

"Look, I don't like it. Hell, I hate this," Keelan responded, "but they're watching us. We get anywhere near that port, and we're gonna be in a firefight."

Hester jumped in, serious for a change. "Guys, you don't want that. They may be castaways, but these cats were the security force before we kicked them out. I know most of 'em. They're armed and they're skilled. _And_ they outnumber us about a hundred to one. We'll be dead in seconds. It's freakin suicide. Sorry, babe."

"Can't you land somewhere else?" Paladra pleaded. "The crash site was miles aw-"

"We can't," Keelan interrupted. "I wish I could. Believe me, I do, but _they're watching us_ , get it? Plus, if they know this _shuttle_ is Apex, chances are they've got dossier's on us, too. I can't risk an international incident."

Paladra shook her head slowly, tears rolling down both cheeks. It was heartbreaking to watch. "We can't just leave her there to die. Please… just send _me_ , then. Anything…"

"Send me with her," I blurted out, mouth getting ahead of my brain.

"Wade, I'm not gonna risk it."

"You don't have to," I argued, thinking through a rough sketch of a plan. "Intel said the crash site's forty-five miles from Kadara Port. So, do a fly-by, hot-drop us, and we'll get the girl to safety."

Keelan narrowed his eyes in thought. I could tell he didn't like it, but he was considering the idea.

"It's a haven for pirates and outlaws, right?" I continued. "You can't tell me all of them register with the port when they come and go. I'll just be another face in the crowd."

"It could work…" Ozz added, "If you can keep the shuttle moving, scanners wouldn't show anything damning. It might be a rough landing, though, even with jump-jets. And miss Therios doesn't have a hardsuit."

"I'll get'er down safe," Brann offered. "Send me and the new guy."

Keelan exhaled sharply from his nose, hand over his mouth in deliberation.

"We can do this, commander," I said confidently. "Just like old times."

He sighed. "Dammit, we _really_ need the black box off that shuttle. … … Alright, gear up. Wade, Brann - you screw this up and you're on your own. Got it? On the miracle chance they don't already know you're with us, I'll be forced to disown you."

"We won't leave any witnesses," Brann said with a huge, toothy grin.

"Don't _make_ any witnesses," Keelan countered firmly. "Get in, acquire the targets, get your asses out. The end."

Our pilot brought us around to a workable drop-off point, as I walked to the back hatch to grab my guns. A soft hand grabbed my forearm, and I turned to see Paladra. "Thank you," she said with wide, emotive eyes. "Both of you…"

I nodded. "Let's go get your friend."

A blue warning light blinked, as the starboard-side shuttle door opened and we descended close to a small treeless plain.

"We'll be back at this exact spot in six hours," Keelan shouted above the roar of the rushing wind that filled the shuttle. " _Do not_ be late, you understand me?"

"Yes sir!" I shouted. He frowned, shaking his head.

"You're a good man, Wade."

The shuttle slowed to the pace of a fast-moving car, bringing us down to within 30 feet or so of the surface before we jumped out. Brann took Paladra in his arms, and with our suits' jump-jets, we landed with no more trouble than if we'd jumped off a bunk bed.

I checked the map on my omni-tool. "We're about three miles out. Better get moving."

Paladra pointed in a different direction. "You want to go this way. Easier slope, no water to cross."

Brann looked at me as if to say 'you sure about this?'

"Trust me," Paladra said, suddenly solemn. "I've been here before."


	6. Leusenia

_—_ _Paladra Therios —_

Waking up in a strange place can be confusing, disconcerting, even frightening. In that delicate mental state between sleeping and waking, thunder becomes explosions, shadows become monsters, and the scariest plot lines from cheap horror vids seem plausible. I'd felt that sensation a handful of times before, and it was as fleeting as it was unpleasant. Three seconds with open eyes always assuaged my fears and brought common sense back to the world.

This was different.

This time, three seconds with open eyes only plunged me further into confusion. I blinked and stared at the face above me. She looked familiar, but I had no idea why. She was intense - upset, even - and I could tell she was trying to say something important, but I couldn't understand her over the thunder and the warbled sounds of sirens in the distance.

 _Thunder? Wait - there shouldn't be any thunder here… I'm on the ark. There shouldn't be sirens, either. Oh no - something's very wrong!_

My heart started racing, as fear seized my chest. I gasped, trying to breath, as the marginally familiar woman's words began to make sense.

"Wake up! You have to get up now!," she said in hushed tones, eyes wild with fear. "We're abandoning ship. Get to the children. Can you understand me? You have to ge-"

Her words were interrupted, as geysers of deep purple erupted, first from her head and neck, then in a dotted line across her torso. I tried to scream, as the twitching, instantly-lifeless body fell over me, but I was so truly petrified that even my lungs seemed frozen.

 _Goddess! What's happening?_ I thought, still stuck in a motionless stupor. I could feel the nameless woman's blood slowly oozing down my cheek and soaking through my shirt, and for a moment, I wondered if any of it was mine. I didn't dare move, though, or make a sound, because I could hear footsteps in the room which were decidedly not asari. A few steps, then a few sounds which I could only surmise were gunshots - though not any gun I recognized. The pattern repeated itself a few times in succession, and my fear only grew. Steps, gunshots… steps, gunshots… steps, coming closer to me… I held my breath for an impossibly long moment of suspense. The gunshot sound roared loudly, and I felt the prick of a searing hot pain in my shoulder. I bit my lip hard, trying with all my might to resist crying out in pain, and thankfully, the moment passed without even a whimper.

After a few seconds the footsteps moved away, and eventually, I couldn't hear them anymore. Trembling, I lifted the corpse off of my body and slithered out of my cryo pod. A quick scan of the room confirmed what my ears suspected earlier - everyone else was dead, motionless in the sleek metallic coffins that were once their pods.

"Oh, goddess…" I whispered, scrambling to the first aid box on a nearby wall. I did a quick inspection of my shoulder wound - no bone damage, no arterial damage, just intense pain. A tube of medi-gel and an adhesive bandage stopped the bleeding and gave a buffer against infection - at least, long enough for me to find my way to an escape pod. _Abandoning ship… that's what she said. We're abandoning… wait - the children!_ My heart sank - if these attackers executed the women in the military bay, I shuddered to think what they would do to the defenseless girls on board. I had to find the children. The problem was, I had no idea where they were.

I moved around the room methodically, creeping across the frigid floor, which was still slippery with the blood of my murdered sisters. Keeping a constant eye on the door, I checked terminals and datapads until I found something with an emergency evacuation map. The children were stored in a bay just a few rooms over from mine - but in the opposite direction of the escape pods.

I peered out the doorway, checking in both directions to make sure the dim hallway was clear, and ran light-footed toward the children's bay. Even in the diffused, emergency lighting, my bare feet left a trail of bloody footprints behind me - I had to be quick, or else risk being found out. I lost my footing rounding the corner into the doorway of the smaller cryo room, and tumbled onto the floor… and into more blood.

The scene in the children's wing was far worse than my own. Dozens of little blue bodies were strewn across the floor - some as young as toddlers, all riddled with bullet holes far beyond what was necessary to induce death. Some corpses still clutched each other - evidence of one last attempt at empathy amidst a wave of vicious cruelty. No sooner had I risen to my feet than I collapsed to the floor again, overwhelmed with grief and horror. I wanted to close my eyes, but whether from some macabre sense of curiosity, or just due to pure shock, I was unable to look away from their faces, still wearing the expressions of fear and anguish that colored them in their last moments. It was ghastly beyond description.

There was certainly a part of my mind that was ready to give up in that moment - to lapse into apathetic indifference and lay on the floor until the attackers added me to the body count - but another part of me had a tremendous urge to survive, and that was the part which still held control of my limbs. I stood back up and reoriented myself with the escape route in my mind. It may have been too late to save the girls, but there was still time to save myself. The hallway was clear enough to risk running, and I bolted down the passage, retracing my bloody steps past the military cryo bay, until I reached the access ladder at the far end.

In my haste, I failed to notice the rising heat as I approached the narrow access tube, a fact that only registered in my consciousness once I took hold of the metal ladder. I let out a yelp, snatching my hand away as my skin blistered against the ladder's conducted heat. I didn't need to look below - I could smell the evidence of a fire raging in the lower deck. The escape route was blocked. I had no choice but to take the long way around and hope that the elevator shaft was still traversable.

Resisting the urge to panic, I pivoted to my right, and ran down the next hallway, passing room after empty room, until I saw movement in the distance. There was a creature on board - definitely not asari. It was grey and white - a biped with rear-hinged knees reminiscent of a quarian, and it was carrying what looked like a rifle. I dashed inside a nearby room, hoping the alien hadn't seen me, and hid myself as best I could under a table. I waited there silently, barely breathing for several minutes, before I heard the unmistakable sound of movement deeper in the room. I had no weapon - I didn't even have shoes - but I had to check it out. Creeping closer, I heard the sound again, along with a whisper, which was definitely asari. Following my ears to a closet, I opened the door to find two girls, no more than 10 years old, in the clutches of a woman who was clearly dead. One of them shrieked, and was quickly shushed by the other. I pitied them, but I had no time for sentiment.

"Girls, you need to come with me right now," I said urgently, just above a whisper. "There are bad, _bad_ people on our ship, and I need to get you to safety."

"But, our nanny," the younger one protested, "she's hurt. We can't move her."

"Honey, she's dead," I replied, with as much bedside manner as I could manage, given the circumstances. "There's nothing we can do for her. We need to go now."

"C'mon, Amara," the older one said. "She's right. We have to get outta here."

The younger girl reluctantly took my hand, and I led the two of them back to the hallway. There was no more sign of the alien, so we moved together, slowly closing in on the elevator at the end of the next hallway. I could hear more screams and gunshots in the distance as we rounded the final corner, and quickly ushered the girls into another side room. It was dark, but judging from the smell, the residents in this particular bay had been dead for a while. I peeked back out into the hallway - flashes of light pulsed from a doorway a few hundred feet down from us. My first instinct was to hide and wait for the aliens to pass us by, but I could clearly hear what sounded like a struggle - someone in that far room was fighting back.

"Stay here," I commanded the girls. "I've gotta check somet-"

"Don't leave us!" The younger one pleaded, grasping onto my arm. "No, no, no, no, no… please…"

My resolve softened as I looked into her panicked, teary eyes. I didn't even know the girl's name, but I felt responsible for her, and I didn't have it in me to wrench her grip off of my arm.

"Okay, fine. Come with me, but stay behind me. Understand? And if I get hurt, you run. Run and hide."  
Both girls nodded sheepishly.

With the girls a safe distance behind me, I crept swiftly down the hallway, looking along the way for anything I could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. I came to the open doorway to see two of these aliens in a standoff with someone who had barricaded herself behind a countertop. The aliens didn't notice me behind them - it was the perfect opportunity to attack. I had never been particularly good at weaponized biotics, but with all the adrenaline in my veins, I had more than enough power to lift them both a dozen feet in the air and smash them back down onto the floor. Once they were down, I rushed in, kicking the gun away from one of them, while the unknown defender behind the counter popped up and shot the other one. I went to retrieve the gun, but in the moment, I couldn't figure out how to fire it, so I used it as a club, and bludgeoned the injured-but-still-writhing brute until greenish-grey blood began to seep out of its mouth.

An adult asari came over and shot it through the eye, spattering me in the face with musky, sticky fluid, as the writhing came to an abrupt halt. I suddenly remembered the girls, and turned to see them watching intently from the doorway, speechless. Not exactly the sort of thing you'd want young girls exposed to, but it was better than being exposed to bullets.

"Thanks for the help," the gun-wielding woman said, scanning the door behind me. "Glad some of the commandos made it."

"Only one," I said bleakly. "Those… _things_ murdered them in their beds." She eyed the girls as I continued. "I found these two huddled together in the closet with a civilian. We're trying to get-"

"To the escape pods," she interrupted. "So are we. Coast is clear, ladies."

Two more bodies emerged from behind the bullet-torn counter - an adult and a young teen who was clutching her blood-soaked abdomen tightly.

"If you have a gun, we're with you," I said. "Do you know if the elevator's working?"

"It's not," the first woman replied, "but there's an emergency ladder in the shaft. A quick climb down, and we're home free. That is, if there are any pods left. I'm Senzia, by the way. This is Alamaide, and the young one here is Avia."

"I'm Paladra," I replied. "Shall we?" I motioned toward the door.

"Okay, stick close," she said.

We made it to the elevator shaft and down to the escape pod deck without trouble, but encountered resistance crossing the last 300 feet to the escape pod portal on the far wall. A small group of aliens rushed toward us, shouting and firing their weapons, though without much accuracy.

"Get to the pod," Senzia shouted, firing a spray of bullets in their direction. "I'll hold them off and sneak in."

I took the girls by the hand and rushed forward, ducking my head to make myself a smaller target. The five of us clamored into an escape pod, but soon realized the controls had been shot to the point of non-functionality.

"Try the next one," I commanded the rest of them, as I stepped out to try and surround Senzia with a barrier. She was under a lot of fire - I wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

I heard the group move behind me and scurry down to the next portal, as I held the barrier as best I could, but there was too much opposition. The barrier faltered and failed.

"It's okay," Senzia said, retreating. "Just get to the pod. I'll-"

A bullet tore through her throat before she could finish her sentence, and I bolted for the pod door, shouting at the girls to shut it behind me. There was a new face inside - another young woman.

"Wait-" she shouted back. "There might be more-"

I ignored her words hit the eject button myself, sealing the metal door behind me just in time to escape a cluster of enemy bullets. The automated disembarking procedure jolted us violently, as thrusters pushed us away from the ark, and out into a congested floating junkyard of debris.

Blood turned to ice water in my veins, as I surveyed the wreckage outside the Leusenia. Remnants of escape pods littered the sky, intermingling with hoses and metal structural beams from our ark. There was no way we could get through the field unscathed. The pod's automatic pilot began pushing us through the debris, as we all clamored to get seatbelts on. We cringed and shrieked every time a new crunch announced our collision with another piece of space junk. The shuttle was surely damaged in the process, but we were still traveling in one piece after clearing the thickest part of it.

A loud chime issued a warning that we were preparing to make the jump to FTL, but before we had traveled 10 seconds at full speed, the shuttle lurched violently to the side, going fully dark for 2 or 3 breathless seconds. The lights flickered back on, but we were drifting in a perpetual barrel roll. I looked out the window, and through the dizzying blur of spinning sky, I could see some kind of radiant dust cloud, stretching out as far as I could see in twisting tendrils. I had no idea what it was, but it seemed to have been responsible for our abrupt detour.

Working together with Alamaide and the woman who had first been aboard, Thalera, we were able to reboot the auto-pilot system, and we resumed our journey toward the Nexus rendezvous point, with an estimated travel time of 3 days. I turned my attention next to the wounds of my shuttle-mates. Alamaide had a few minor lacerations on her left arm, and Thalera was unharmed, but the teenager, Avia, wasn't as fortunate. The bullet wound to her abdomen had torn through her liver, and damaged more blood vessels than I could repair. I applied all the medi-gel I could find to staunch the bleeding, but it was too little, too late. She lost consciousness 2 hours later, and stopped breathing a few minutes afterward.

After wrapping the body and moving it to the back of the small shuttle, I finally sat down, and the emotions of the day caught up with me. I cried and cried, heaved and sobbed, until there were no more tears, and still, I couldn't pull myself together. This was worse than the darkest fears I'd ever allowed myself to imagine, and I was still far from safe.

My fellow castaways and I did a lot of sleeping on the cramped shuttle, trying to pass the 3 days to the Nexus, but after 4 days had come and gone, we began to worry. Our pod was stocked with 5 days' worth of emergency food and water supplies for a crew of 6 adults, but there was no Nexus in sight, and our auto-pilot still showed a travel time of 3 days. A week later, and we were on the brink of starvation, despondent over the lack of any visible progress toward safety. For all we knew, the same fate that befell us had taken the Nexus, and we were on our own to slowly starve to death, floating aimlessly through space. We had already discussed the merits of possible suicide methods when our shuttle radio was finally hailed.

The voice over the radio belonged to a rogue nation on a planet named "Kadara." They offered us safe haven if we could alter our course and bring the vessel to the surface. The trouble was, none of us knew how to pilot a shuttle. We put our heads together and came up with a plan, taking the reigns from the auto-pilot and moving into orbit around the brownish planet. Thalera steered us onto a descent path, but the shuttle's terrestrial engines had been damaged during our escape from the Leusenia, and despite her best efforts, we missed the port by over 40 miles. We crash-landed on the rocky surface of the planet, finally sliding to a terrifyingly rough stop on the slope of a mountain.

We emerged from the crumpled heap of a shuttle, emaciated and severely dehydrated, and collapsed, content to breathe the pungent but oxygenated air and wait for help to arrive. A half hour later, we were greeted by a ragamuffin group of humans, who provided food and water, and drove us to a nearby shelter to stay the night. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, believing we were all safe. When I awoke after nearly 30 straight hours of sleep, I learned how very wrong I was.

Our human hosts informed us that the Leusenia had been destroyed as a result of the alien siege we narrowly escaped. Kadara, with its odorous air and sulfuric water, would have to be our new home. They also informed us that in order to be safe on Kadara, we would have to pay for protection. We offered our shuttle in exchange for food and shelter, but their leader, a man named Wainliss, wanted more. He offered to let us travel with his band of scavengers as permanent members, in exchange for sexual favors for him and his men - and not just from the adults - he expected this from the girls as well. I was insulted, disgusted and furious. When we refused, they drove us out at gunpoint, shivering and empty-handed.

We had no idea how to find our way back to the shuttle - or the settlement at the port, for that matter - and no protection from raiders, beasts or the elements. To make matter worse, Alamaide had a progressively-worsening cough, and at times could barely walk without stumbling. It was a hopeless situation. With no other alternative, Thalera went back to Wainliss and struck a deal. Alamaide, the girls, and I would be given safe passage to the port to try and forge a living there. In exchange, she agreed to stay with the scavengers and indulge their lascivious desires.

I cried many, many tears before letting go of her hands to board the ground transport to the city, swearing on everything sacred that I would return to rescue her. After the ordeal the 5 of us had all been through, we'd become very close. The scavengers kept their end of the bargain, dumping us just inside the gate and rolling off into the sunset. Penniless and sickly, we wandered the streets for a day and a half, sleeping under a metal staircase and eating out of garbage cans, before an asari bartender took pity on us. She allowed us to sleep in a storage room at her establishment, and fed us a livable diet. In exchange, we cleaned up after bar fights and mopped the beer and vomit from the floor hourly.

After a few weeks, my health stabilized, along with that of the girls, but Alamaide's continued to decline. Her weakness intensified to the extent that she became bedfast, wasting away until finally, one night, she went to sleep beside us and didn't wake up. A tearful burial later, and I was all alone with the girls.

My miserable life continued unchanged for several weeks more, until one afternoon, I was approached by a young turian with questions about the ark. She told me she had reason to believe the ark was still very much intact, but was lost somewhere in the region. I offered to help with any information I could give, and after hearing my story, she had compassion on me and the girls, offering to bring us back with her to the Nexus and give us a safe place to live. I was hesitant to leave the planet, knowing Thalera was still in the grasp of Wainliss and his band of pillagers, but for the sake of the girls, I accepted the offer. After all, I wasn't running away. I was going for reinforcements. I had an oath to keep, and nothing was going to keep me from fulfilling it.


	7. Scavenging

_—_ _Grissom Wade —_

Kadara was a strange planet. The air smelled like rotten eggs, the water boiled and bubbled… and yet, there was something beautiful about the dramatic, steep cliffs jutting out from brownish sandy soil. Small tufts of grass dotted the landscape, especially any flat areas, and the air was moister & thicker - almost uncomfortably so. The adventurer in me kept noticing things I wanted to explore, but there was no time for detours - we had a tight mission window.

Paladra got more intense as we hiked the steep slopes toward the crash site. For someone who seemed so frail and exhausted on the shuttle, she was hiking like a possessed woman, moving so fast it was hard to keep up. She told us the abbreviated version of her story as we walked - from waking up on the Leusenia, to escaping with Sidera Nyx, to the Nexus. It made me hate the Kett even more, and if she didn't put a bullet through this Wainliss character's temples, I was gonna do it for her.

After a half hour of sweat-soaked, short-breathed hiking, we reached what was left of her escape shuttle, and started searching for the blackbox. We figured out pretty quickly that it was a lost cause. Everything of value had been stripped from the shuttle - electronics, power core, seats, doors… and the black box, to boot. Gone.

Brann was ready to turn around and head back to the rendezvous point, but we couldn't give up that easily - after all, Paladra's friend was still out there somewhere, even if the black box had been sold for scrap. We spotted some tire tracks and followed them down another gradual slope and into a large valley. On the far side of the valley was a cave opening, where Paladra said she'd been taken when the scavengers "rescued" her. We took a five minute water break, then set out hiking again, crossing the valley and coming to the mouth of the cave in less than an hour.

The smell of rotting flesh was so strong outside the cave that we had to cover our noses as we entered. Not the best start to a search. We cautiously moved in from the windy hillside to the still, stale air of the cave, which opened to a large cavern with man-made structures inside. There were assorted shuttle pieces everywhere - some were heaped in piles in corners, some had been incorporated into the buildings themselves. I must've cleared a half a dozen storage crate-like rooms before I found the source of the smell - and I had a terrible feeling it was gonna be more bad news for our expedition. Crumpled on the floor was the dead body of an asari - emaciated, bruised and half-naked.

"Miss Therios," I called, gently rolling the body over to get a better look at the face, "I found something you need to see." The poor woman looked - and smelled - like she'd been dead for days, maybe weeks.

Paladra came trotting over, and froze when she stepped into the room, covering her mouth and slumping to the floor.

"Oh no! Oh, goddess… no, no, no…"

I didn't need to ask. This was her friend.

"Those… savages!" She said through heavy sobs. "Oh Thalera… I'm so sorry! I'm _so sorry_ …"

I barely knew the girl, but her grief was heartbreaking. I knelt down and wrapped her in my arms, holding her as her chest heaved with the kind of heavy tears that debilitated a person.

"I'll carry her body out," Brann offered kindly, "give her a decent burial. No sign of the black box, by the way. Searched everywhere."

He took the decaying body, and Paladra and I remained, as she tried to regain her composure. It reminded me of the night I watched Grady take his life - there was no rushing that sort of thing. We stayed in there for a while, until things started to calm down for her.

"I told her not to do it," she said, a little calmer, but still very emotional. "I _begged_ her not to do it."

"It was a heroic thing she did," I replied. "And a heroic thing _you_ did, keeping the girls alive. She knew only you could do that."

"But I left her here with those animals. They didn't… they just _left her here_ , left her to rot."

Yeah, Wainliss and his crew were gonna pay for this. That much was sure, but it was a little odd that they would leave their hideout behind… unless they were out raiding another group.

With the thoughts still fresh on my mind, I heard grunts and scuffles out in the cavern, and peeked my head out the door to see Brann dragging a frantic man by the leg, scraping him over the uneven cave floor as he went.

"Look what I found, coming back for more," he growled.

"I'll give you whatever you want," the man yelled in a panic, "you want guns? Food? Girls?"

"I wanna know where the rest of your pyjack { _Pyjack - an invasive-species monkey, common as a pest on the krogan homeward of Tuchanka. Considered an offensive and derogatory term_. } buddies are," Brann said, grabbing the man by the shirt and bringing him face to face, "and you're gonna tell me."

"Buddies? I - I have n-no idea who you're talking about," the man stuttered.

"Wrong answer," Brann growled, taking hold of the man's leg again and yanking him off his feet. The hulking krogan kicked the elevated leg, snapping the man's thigh bone with so much force that a broken shard of it came tearing through the other side.

" _Oooookay_ , there, Brann," I said, as the main screamed in pain. "Let's leave our hostage alive long enough for him to answer the questions."

He was unfazed, grabbing the man by his oily black hair and lifting him back up. "You think it's fun to rape asari slaves to death?"

"Asari? What? Oh - that was… it was an accident, I swear! I told them to-"

"Maybe you'd like to be on the receiving end," he interrupted, pulling out a large flashlight. "I wonder if this would fit inside any holes? Or maybe I could make a new one…"

"Oh god, no! No, no…" the main squealed, with wide, wild eyes. "Okay, anything you wanna know. Anything!"

" _We-he-hellllll_ , that's more like it," Brann said with a smile, as the man's blood fell from his thigh in audible droplets. "Now, let's try this again. Where are your friends?"

"They went to trade with the angarans. Left me behind to clean up the - um - uh-"

"The girl you left to rot like a varren?" { _Varren - a predatory animal native to Tuchanka. Analogous culturally to a wild dog._ }

"Well… yeah, but-"

"When are they coming back?" I asked, glancing at my omni-tool. We had about 4 hours until pickup, but we were easily an hour-long hike back to the rendezvous point.

"B-before dark," he stammered. "Always before dark. They'll put the new stuff in the vault."

"What's in the vault?" I asked, curious about our missing black box.

"I don't know-"

Brann pushed on the jagged piece of bone protruding from the man's thigh, causing an agonizing screech.

"I-I-swear… I swear, they never let me in there. I'm just the new guy." The man was truly fearing for his life. He didn't have a reason to lie. "You can wait for them to come back and open it for you - get anything you want. They'll be here before dark."

"You said that already," Brann asked, annoyed. "When exactly is that around here?"

"How the hell should I know? Do I look like I've got a watch?" The man replied. Brann didn't appreciate the answer, dropping his flashlight and pulling out a shotgun with a large bayonet on the front. He raked the blade across the man's abdomen as the other hand held him upright, releasing blood and entrails from the wound. Paladra gasped, and looked away.

"Brann…" I said warily.

" _What time does it get dark here_?" He repeated menacingly to the gasping man.

"Two hours… from now, m-maybe three," he said, whimpering.

Brann grinned. "See - that wasn't so hard. Save your friends a seat in hell - we'll send them there to meet you in a few." He placed the barrel of the shotgun beneath the head of the man and pulled the trigger.

"What the hell, Brann?" I half-shouted.

"We got what we needed, didn't we?" He said, wiping the blood off his bayonet on what remained of the man on the ground. "Besides, you saw what they did to that girl. This pyjack had it coming."

"I appreciate your desire for vengeance," Paladra said, "but maybe we could leave hostages alive in the future?"  
He sighed. "You two are as soft as you look. C'mon - we need to bury these bodies and set up an ambush."

Digging holes to bury Thalera and our dead hostage was more tiring than I expected. The afternoon sun beat down on us mercilessly through a cloudless sky, drawing out so much sweat that my eyes were raw from constantly wiping it away. Nobody said much while we dug - we were all too deep in thought, or too out of breath. We covered the bodies with dirt, said a few last words, then gave each other some personal space. Brann's savagery bothered me - no matter what these scavengers had done, they were still human beings. Then again, Brann was a krogan. Savagery came as naturally to him as breathing.

I checked in with Paladra once the sun had begun setting - she hadn't spoken more than a handful of sentences since we buried Thalera. The ambush didn't exactly rest on her shoulders, but I wanted to make sure she was mentally ready for whatever was coming up next.

"I'll be okay, if that's what you're here for," she said, as I approached. "I can do whatever's needed."

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright," I replied. "That was a rough scene back there."

"I will be. Right now, I'm mostly numb. Numb and angry."

"I get it. I joined the initiative because my best friend asked me. We had a really rough outing, first day out of cryo. He, um… he shot himself. Right in front of me…"

"That's terrible. I'm sorry."

"I know what it's like - the shock and grief all mixed together. I was numb, too. Just…"  
"What?"  
"Don't give up hope. Don't hit the eject button on life. It'll get better."

"It doesn't feel like it right now, but… I believe you. Thank you."

"No prob. We've gotta have each other's backs out here."

"You're right. And speaking of that, I want to help with the ambush. Give me a gun - a pistol, if you've got one."

I didn't like the idea of being short one weapon, but it was worth adding another armed fighter. I pulled my Carnifex out and placed it in her hand, still keeping mine on it momentarily.

"You sure you're up for this?" I asked.

She took the gun, held it at arms' length and checked the magazine. "It's quite heavy… but I can manage. Thank you."

"Just don't be bull-headed, okay? People fight stupid when they're emotional."

"I'll do my best," she said after a delay, looking the gun over in her hand.

I had my concerns, but I decided to trust her anyway, and went back to my hiding spot to get ready. It wasn't long before I heard the rumble of a vehicle approaching. I hunkered down a little lower in the cluster of shrubs, double-checking my rifle to make sure I was ready. Brann and Paladra did the same, and in no time, the target was in sight. Two rickety-looking all-terrain vehicles came rolling in, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.

The plan was simple - we'd wait until the scavengers were busy carrying salvage into the vault, then attack while their arms were full, leaving at least one or two alive so we could interrogate them if needed. That part would be my job this time, not Brann's. I peered over my cover and watched, as the vehicles came to a stop, and unloaded. There were nine humans - mostly males - and from what I could see, all were armed. Two of them pulled out rifles and stood on guard, while the rest poured into the cave, returning to the transports like a line of ants, and taking another handful of junk. It was as good a scenario as we were going to get.

Silently, I rose up, got the nearer guard in my sights, and pulled the trigger. He dropped instantly, and I was able to sight-up the other one and at least injure him before anyone realized what was going on. Brann took the more direct approach, charging forward with a war-yell from the other direction. He blasted one guy off his feet with a shotgun shell, and ran his bayonet clear through the chest of another one. The resistance came swiftly, though, as the remaining 5 scavengers dropped their cargo and took up defensive positions inside the mouth of the cave. I charged forward, allowing my suit's kinetic shield to fend off a stray bullet along the way, and lobbed a grenade into the opening. Enemies came streaming out of the hole, barely escaping the explosion, which brought rocks crumbling down from the ceiling.

Brann and I turned loose a storm of bullets, cutting two more down. We were so caught up with the attack on the group that we didn't notice another three emerge from the vehicles to flank us. Fortunately, Paladra did. She came out of hiding, racing across the field and firing on the new enemies. I turned to see two of them slump to the ground, while the third was sent flying over the top of the vehicle by a biotic field. She was lethally efficient. With Paladra's entrance, the remaining two fighters were hopelessly outmatched. I still had hope to take one or more alive, so I offered terms of surrender.

"Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up," I commanded, "or bleed like your friends. Your call."

Two weapons came flying out from behind a cluster of rocks, and the last two scavengers walked out into the open, hands held high.

"Check'em, Brann," I said, while Paladra ran to make sure the man she threw down the hillside was incapacitated.

"They're good," Brann grunted, kicking the backs of their knees to drop them to the ground.

"Which one of you's Wainliss?" I asked. The woman nodded in the direction of a brown & grey haired corpse on the ground. "Alright, let's hope _you_ know something. I want the blackbox from the asari escape pod. Hand it over, and you live to fight another day. Screw with me, and my krogan friend, here, will ventilate your chest cavity. Clear enough?"

"Hey man, I ain't got nothing here worth dying for," the male hostage said shakily. "I dunno what the heck the blackbox looks like, but you can take whatever you want outta there."

Brann knocked him onto all fours, and stepped on his hand, twisting as he leaned his 400+ pound frame into it. "Why do I get the feeling you're messing with us?" He said through bared teeth.

"Stop!" The woman said. "I know what you want. It's in the vault. I'll get it for you."

"You've got sixty seconds to place it at my feet," I said, "or I'll stop restraining the krogan."

She clamored to her feet, racing inside the wreckage, and returning swiftly with our prize.

"There," she said, panting. "Is that what you want? Can we go?"

"Grissom!" Paladra said, interrupting. "They've got girls tied up in the truck."

The female hostage stuttered, clearly worried about the discovery. "It's j-just, business - we didn't hurt 'em. Just trading. That's all."

"The slaves come with me," I said, trying to contain the urge to turn violent. Scavenging I could handle, but slavery - especially from humans - that was too far.

"Sure! Sure, they're yours," the woman said. "They're young and healthy. They'll put out… i-if that's what you're-"

I smashed the butt of my rifle into her jaw, knocking her to the ground. "You're disgusting. Get out of my sight while I still have the self-control to allow it."

The woman and her partner, whose hand must've been pulverized at that point, took off running down the hill, disappearing into the dusk. Paladra brought the slave girls out of the vehicle, and took the shirts off of a few of the fallen scavengers to give them something more modest to wear. The poor women hardly spoke, looking at us with wide-eyed wariness.

"You're safe," I said, trying to cool my temper enough to speak with kindness. "We're with the Initiative."

"What will you do with us?" One of them asked. "We can't go back to Kadara Port, but we can't go back to the Nexus." They were Exiles.

"I'll figure it out," I assured them. "Let's get moving."

They nodded, and the five of us headed back toward the rendezvous point in one of the rovers.

Paladra returned my pistol to me once we were back to our pick-up site.

"Thanks for trusting me with this," she said. "It handles well."

"You handled it well," I replied. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"I spent twenty years in the commandos," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Wow."

"As a combat medic," she clarified. "I didn't really do much shooting - at least, not in combat. But commandos are expected to be able to handle themselves in any situation."

"You know… Apex has been really depleted lately. I'm sure we could use someone with your skill set."

She huffed an abbreviated chuckle, shaking her head. "I came to Andromeda to get _away_ from violence."

"Then join as a medic," I countered, "'cause violence is here, whether you want it or not. Plus, Apex has the best food and housing in the Initiative…"

"I'll give it some thought," she said reluctantly.

"Good," I said with a smile. "You do that. And while you're at it… if you need to talk about what happened, with your friend and all…"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but-"

"Grief's a bear to handle on your own. Trust me, I've had more than my fair share."

She nodded, and went to attend to the needs of our rescued slaves. I took the blackbox out of my pack and turned it over in my hands. _One mission, one win. Well, sort of. Let's hope this thing tells us what we need to know._

I glanced at the shivering women, still underdressed for the rapidly-cooling night. Blackbox or not, I was glad we came. This was exactly the kind of thing I joined Apex to do.


	8. Teammates

"And _that's_ how we do it in STG," Ozz said smugly, as his firing range results flashed on the screen overhead. It was an impressive hit spread, but I could do better.

"Not bad, Kermit," Hester said, stepping up next, with his weapon of choice. He unleashed a spray of bullets, covering all 3 targets with holes as dense as an Eos star field. Ozz was unimpressed.

"You do realize the point is to practice _accuracy_ , right? Or is this another 'I'm too busy copulating and wooing females to invest effort in something as banal and monotonous as target practice' moment?" He often talked so quickly, it could be hard to follow.

"Okay, mister 'triple word score,'" Hester fired back, "last time I checked, Apex isn't about marksmanship, it's about killin' stuff. My targets are dead. I win."

"And you're also out of ammunition. Or, did they not teach you about that in your rent-a-cop academy?"

"Remember this, _Dorothy,"_ Hester countered _,_ "while STG was out writing 'observational reports,' Spectre black ops and Marines were kicking reaper ass and winning the Geth War. Right, Wade?"

"Wait a minute - " Cho interjected. "You fought the reaper? On the Citadel?"

"I was on the Perugia, first deployment group once we got inside the arms," I answered. "It was a freakin' mess, man. Geth popping out of every nook and cranny in that station. Commander Taylor was my C.O. - and Grady Bannon was there, too."

"Wow. Okay, then. Respect," Cho said with a demonstrative nod.

"And don't forget the biggest badass war daddy of 'em all, John Shepard," Hester added.

"You fought with Shepard?" Brann asked with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Hester verbally backpedalled. "Well, not exactly _with_ him, but I had his back, y'know?"

"Shepard brought down Saren { _Saren - A rogue council Spectre who worked with the reapers to try and overtake the Citadel_. }," I clarified. "We kept the geth busy so he didn't get overrun."

"It was a freakin' thing of beauty," Hester said nostalgically. "Fought him to the death, _mano-e-mano_ , right in the council chambers. That guy was a straight-up killing machine… and a ladies' man, or so I've heard."

"Yeah… well, he _was_ the man," I said, "until he stabbed us all in the back and sold his soul to Cerberus."

Hester rolled his eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud, Wade! He did not sell us out."

"He's a traitor," I said plainly. "Sorry, but it's the truth."

"What? Because he joined Cerberus to get crap done?"

"He was bankrolled _by_ _a known terrorist organization!_ Any reason to join Cerberus is a bad one."

"Oh man, don't get me started on Cerberus," Cho said. "That's one thing I'm glad we left behind in the Milky Way."

"Why the hate - you military, too?" Brann asked Cho. "Don't tell me I'm the only 'Civilian' on the team."

"Nope. Cerberus is personal with me," he answered. "Spent my first five years in one of their 'schools for the gifted.' It was more like a black market orphanage for biotics. They experimented on me, but I guess I wasn't 'gifted' enough, so they dumped me like a bad habit on Olor. Cerberus can burn in hell, as far as I'm concerned. But as for military, no - never joined. Tried Eclipse, but I didn't have the cutthroat instinct. Talked to an Alliance recruiter, but they didn't seem to know what to do with biotics."

"Oh, I forgot you were a biotic," Brann said. "Got any tricks?"

Cho thought for a minute. "Well, there's this. Watch closely." He hit a few buttons on the range's instrument panel, moving one of the targets behind another of them by about 6 feet. He closed his eyes in concentration for a moment, then fired a single shot. It registered in the upper chest of the back target, without touching the front one.

"Nice!" I said. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Curved the shot," he answered with a smile. "Comes in handy when someone's behind cover."

"Or you could just, ya know, move the cover," Brann said, reaching out with biotic power to throw the front target off its base and through the back target. Caution lights started flashing, as a maintenance bot drove out onto the range to try to repair the aftermath of his demonstration.

"Nice going, Brann," I said, half-teasing, and half-seriously annoyed. "Went and ruined it for the rest of us."

"I did you a favor, Wade," he rebutted. "You just don't have it today. That Kadara mission screw with your head, or what?"

"I'm just not focused, I guess," I answered, half-truthfully. Target practice always reminded me of Josie, and I was especially missing her that day. She'd finally written me back, but her email was short and formal - more like a social requirement than a message from someone who missed me like I missed her. It was - as Brann so eloquently phrased - screwing with my head.

"He's missing his girlfriend, _Joooooossssssie_ ," Hester teased.

"I told you - she's not a girlfriend," I said with a sigh. "Just a friend."

"Who you want to bang all night," Hester added, breaking into song. " _Aaaaaall niiiiiiight loooooong…. all night… all night…"_

"Eh, shut up!" I said, punching him in the shoulder, as Cho suppressed guffaws.

"Dude, just own it. You miss your chica. It's obvious - you need some lady lovin,' my friend." He patted my shoulder, advising me as the repair bots froze and lit up with maintenance lights of their own. "I can hook you up with a girl that'll clear Josie right outta your mind. I'm telling you, man, this place is the freakin' jackpot for hook-ups. A big station full of lonely women who have a sex drive telling them to go make babies, and a chem cocktail keeping them from worrying about actually getting pregnant. Not to mention, we've got an unusually high percentage of people at their physical prime around here. It's the perfect storm of _boom shaka laka_ , baby."

Ozz groaned. "Here we go again with sophomorically overblown sexuality. With a reproductive drive like that, I'm surprised you manage to keep your population in check."

"Just 'cause salarian's make it a business affair, doesn't mean the rest of us can't have a little fun," Hester said with a grin. "Besides, the prime booty on this station's sky blue. It's not a 'human' thing - it's an 'anybody who's not salarian' thing.'"

"Seriously? Asari?" Brann asked. "Don't you, ya' know… want your own kind?"  
"Brann, my friend, I love beautiful women as much as the next guy, but I have tasted the forbidden fruit, and it is _mm-mmm delicious_. Imagine - hot, flexible body, absolutely zero inhibitions. Trust me. Once you go blue, nothing else'll do."

"Good grief, this conversation is going south in a hurry," I said, grabbing my gun and heading back to the armory. "Y'all can wait for mister fix-it bot to do his thing - I'm callin' it a day."

I took my valkyrie back to the armory, and was headed up to my apartment, when I overheard an argument in the lounge. I snuck up close to eavesdrop - it was Kandros' assistant, Lieutenant Sajax, and Paladra, and from the sound of it, things were pretty heated.

"… sorry, but it's not gonna change," Ajax said firmly. "Kandros' orders were clear. _Written_ orders…"

"Okay," Paladra replied, with more than a little frustration coloring her polite tone. "I understand that. I do. I'm fine with helping out - I just want a different assignment."

Ajax sighed. "What exactly is the problem with Echo team? They're the ones who recommended you."

"I'm… just not comfortable serving with humans. It's complicated."

"Well, I've got news for you, sister. This is the Initiative. There are humans everywhere. You're gonna have to find a way to deal with it."

"Maybe, if I can talk directly to Kandros-"

"This is _my_ call, Therios, and I need you on Echo. Look - this isn't Thessia { _Thessia - the ancestral homeworld of the asari_. }, alright? Around here, you've gotta carry your own weight. There's no room for you in medical, and I'm not gonna waste your skills raking dirt on Eos. If you want to eat, you work, and you work where I tell you. You've got two options: get your blue ass to work with Echo, or I'll find you a cryo pod. Clear enough for you?"

"Abundantly," Paladra said curtly, storming out of the room. I tried to back up and look natural, but she was out the door too fast. She noticed me, shooting a glare as she passed by. Even her walk was angry.

 _No humans, huh? Well, considering what she went through on Kadara, I can't say I blame her. That's not gonna do, though. I'm gonna have to remedy that._

Over the next several weeks, I made it my personal mission to change Paladra's mind about humans. I'd always been a team-builder, and sweeping that kind of frustration under the rug just went against my grain. Plus, right or wrong, I took her prejudice a little personally. Funny thing is, she was never rude to me or the other guys, never bad-mouthed humans in general - she just kept to herself a lot. It took about 2 weeks solid, asking and pestering her, but she finally agreed to grab a drink with me at the docking bay commons during our time off.

The Vortex was part restaurant, part bar, and part comedy club - and not especially great at any of them - but it was the only real option while the rest of the Nexus was still under construction. We must've come at an off time - there was hardly anybody else in there. We got our drinks, sat across the small, metallic table from each other, and sipped in silence for a moment before trying to kick things off.

"So…" she said, swirling the red wine around in her goblet.

"So… thanks for making time to talk," I began, unsure of where to go next.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, mostly just getting to know you a little. I mean, we're teammates now. I wanna know the people I'm working with. Plus, I've never really been around asari before. I thought it would be a good idea to get to know your culture a little better - you know, so I don't accidentally offend you or somethin.'"

She moved her head back a little, eyebrows scrunched in surprise. "You've never been around _any_ asari?" From her reaction, you'd think I'd told her I'd never heard of coffee.

"No, not really. Seen a few back in the Milky Way, but I'm an Earth boy. Didn't do a lot of travel outside of the Service. So, consider this a… cultural learning exercise."

"Okay," she said with a shrug. "What do you want to know?"

"Just like that? Um, crap. Well, let's see… okay - for starters, is it offensive to call you a 'woman?' I know that technically, y'all aren't exactly, I dunno…"

"Not at all. I'm certainly not a man," she said with a chuckle. "We're used to it. All the council races refer to us in female terminology."

"Okay, good."

"My turn," she said, taking another sip before continuing. "You said you're an 'Earth boy' - do you speak english?"

"Yep. Born and raised in Texas."

"Fantastic! Do you mind if I practice my English on you for a bit?"

"Go right ahead."

She held a finger next to her ear canal, then spoke with a hesitant, slightly shy smile. "Is that coming through for you?"

"Loud and clear. You turned your translator off?"

"I did. Otherwise, you'd be translated into Attena { _Attena - one of a handful of asari native languages._ }. Texas, huh? That makes sense. Your accent is… noticeable."

Speaking of accents, I noticed hers change right away. Talking without the translator, she had a different color to her vowels, and something more pronounced about her 'r's.' It was English, for sure, but not the American variety.

"I get that a lot," I replied, scratching my head self-consciously. "You can take the boy outta Texas, but you can't take the Texas outta the boy. Where'd _you_ learn to speak English? No, wait - let me guess… I'm gonna go with… Ireland?"

"Exactly! I'm impressed. Is my accent that noticeable? I try to be neutral."

"Don't. It's… endearing."

"Well, um, thanks," she said, blushing. Or, at least, that's what it looked like. "I studied human anatomy and physiology in Belfast, and picked it up fairly quickly. The translators are great - most of the interspecies students at the university used them - but they still don't convey all the… oh, what's the word… _nuance_? Is that right?" I nodded. "So, they don't carry the nuances of expression sometimes."

 _So, she's had a lot of interaction with humans, way before Kadara. Maybe the dislike goes back to the Milky Way. Remember to investigate that a little…_

I set my beer down and clapped. "Bravo. You are officially way smarter than I am. How many languages do you speak?"

"Outside of the asari languages - which is really confusing, there are um… dialects? That have split over the years so much that some consider them unique languages, but most are understood by everyone. Anyway, besides Thessian and all those, I speak English, Commercial Turian, Salarian, a little Krogan - which is terribly fun to try, but difficult for an asari mouth and tongue… and I once tried Drell, but never got the hang of it."

"Wow. I'm super-impressed, _aaaaaaand_ feel kinda dumb. I speak English and Spanish, and I did take two years of Turian in high school. So weird, right? All those clicks and stuff. I dunno. I'm not sure how much I could actually do now. Translators make ya' lazy."

"That they do."

"So, follow-up question: why'd you study _human_ anatomy & physiology? Was that part of commando training, or something?"

"No. Actually, I took two years off from my work with the commandos to study. We were working in the Traverse { _The Attican Traverse - a lawless border region bordering frontier Earth Alliance colonies and adversarial species not recognized by the Citadel Council._ }, and I wanted to be able to treat both my own commando sisters, and the humans we interacted with."

"Wow. So, in this whole, 'cultural learning' thing, you've got me at a disadvantage."

"Only a bit. Culture is such a deep thing - I've only seen one slice of it."

"Yeah, good point. So, tell me, then, doc - are we as similar under the hood as it looks? 'Cause there's a reason it feels natural to call you a woman."

"I'm sorry - ' _under the hood_?'"

"Oh, right. Uh, it's slang for the inner workings of something. From the old days, I think, when guys would fix truck engines by opening up the hood."

"Hmm. Makes sense. Logging that to memory. Thank you. So, are we that similar internally? Surprisingly, yes. Genetically speaking, humans share more in common with asari than with primates on your own planet. It's… remarkable."

"So, lungs, heart, liver, stomach, lady parts…"

She laughed audibly. "Lady parts? Are you joking?"

"Well, I mean the _interior_ ones, obviously," I replied. It was my turn to blush.

"Sorry, just got a tickle at that. And your face! There's no need to be shy about it. Okay, back to the question. Let's see…we carry our young in a womb, much like a human's, and give birth vaginally, and breast feed… the ovaries are a bit different, but not as much as you'd think."

"Okay - so, track with me, here, 'cause I've got this theory that might sound crazy. They way you're built, and the way human males and females have, um, you know, corresponding anatomies…"

She tried to suppress a chuckle. "Uh-huh…"

"Do you ever wonder if, thousands of - well, for you, I guess it'd be tens or hundreds of thousands of years ago - if there were male asari, and they went extinct? I hope that's not offensive."

"Not at all. There are some asari historians who have proposed that, actually. Our ancestors were entirely, um… can't think of the right word, but sea-living. Because of that, and the way our bones decay - which is much faster than human bones - there's not a lot of evidence of exactly what we were like that far back. It does seem like a… um… sorry…. a _reasonable_ theory. There's something odd in the um, bone record? That's not right…"

"Fossil record?"

"Yes! Thank you. The _fossil record_ has a very odd gap in it around the time we fully evolved from water to a land society. Some think there was some kind of extinction event, or alien influence, or else the females evolved to the point where they no longer needed a human-style sexual act to produce babies."

"Oh man, don't say that too loud around human women - there are some that'd die for that. So, what do _you_ believe?"

"Oh, I don't know. My beliefs are… very odd. Not in the majority…"

"Okay, spill it, then."

"What?"

"Grr. Sorry. Idioms. Spill it - like, just come forward and say it."

"Oh, right. Well, okay. After first contact with humans, I got this idea, and then once I really studied your anatomy, it only further, um… further made me wonder. I'd always believed the council species evolved separately from each other, but the odds of humans and asari sharing so much similarity…"

"Right. Too much for coincidence. You think we're related?"

"Not necessarily. But yes, maybe something like that. I wonder that we're not variations - evolved differences - in the same basic design. Which, I know, flies in the face of your evolutionary theorists and ours."

"Makes perfect sense to me."

She was taken back, pausing for a moment. "Really?"  
"Oh yeah. I believe God made Earth, and had a very specific genetic code for humans. Makes sense that He'd use something similar on Thessia."

"Ah, you're a _theist_ …"

"Hey now, don't judge-"

"I'm not judging. I'm actually intrigued. I haven't spoken with many. So you think your god started life on Earth _and_ Thessia?"

"Yeah, and Palaven, Sur'kesh, Tuchanka - all of 'em."

"Well, that's an interesting idea…"

"It makes sense. His revelation to humans didn't include any details on 'extra-terrestrials,' just that there are a bunch of 'em, and they're kinda like us, but different. Ancient humans called them 'angels' and 'demons' and 'gods' and stuff like that. But if you look back now, through a modern filter, you can totally see it."

She cracked a smile. "You're very passionate about this…"

"You kinda have to be."

"True. Well, I respect your convictions. There's a religious group on Thessia, known as Semthala - their beliefs sound very similar to yours."

"And what are your beliefs on it?"

"I'm… not sure what I believe yet. I'm fairly certain there was some level of intentional design - at least, in the sentient species like ours. And then, seeing how similar we are to even the Kett and Angara here… We have the 'design' belief in common, I think."

"It's a start."

"It is. Alright, another question for you, Grissom Wade."

"Shoot."

"I'm working out the timeline in my head. You joined the Alliance military, and I know you served many years, and in human understanding you're - forty?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Oh - forgive me. Asari have a different way of counting age, and a much longer lifespan…"

"No problem."

"My question, then, is - why did you join the military? And, when? It wasn't for the First Contact War, and you seem too experienced to have joined for the Geth War."

"Ah, that's, um… well, a little personal, but… what the hell, why not? So, I had two older brothers, growing up. Jonathan - he was eight years older than me, and Levi was two years older - which in human terms, eight's a lot. Anyway, I really looked up to Jonathan - wanted to be just like him. He was… the man. Did all the right things, perfect grades in school, likable guy, lots of friends… you know the type."

She nodded.

"So, he joined the marines, did a lot of great stuff… but he was stationed on Akuze, whenever the, um… _incident_ happened."

"Akuze… sounds familiar. I'm sorry - refresh my memory."

I took a deep, long breath. I didn't like talking about it, even after so many years. "His, uh… … sorry… … his whole unit was killed by thresher maws. Well, all but one-"

"Oh, I remember! That was John Shepard's unit as well."

"Yeah."

"Oh, how sad! I'm sorry. You must have been _heartbroken_."

"Yeah. It was a really dark time for my whole family. I went into a deep depression, dropped out of school. My fiancé broke up with me… I needed something to kick-start my life again, and my best friend - Grady - his uncle was pretty high up in the marines - he got us in."

"I had no idea it was such a painful memory. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Past is the past, right? Can't change it. Gotta learn from it. So, why'd you join the commandos?"

"Fear," she said with shrugged shoulders. "I was a physical therapist on Lusia { _Lusia - A medium-sized asari colony planet_. }, happy enough, I guess… then the turians made contact with humans, and there was all this fear about how aggressive you all were, and how um… _vulnerable?_ we were if things ever went badly with the turians, so there were large efforts to recruit people in every asari homeworld to grow the size of our military. I resisted at first, but eventually, I joined, about two years after the war."

 _Ah, afraid of humans because of wartime propaganda? We can remedy that, no problem._

"Two years… oh my gosh, I was three years old!"

"Oh my! You _are_ a baby!" She said, laughing. "I was eighty-nine."

"Well… for a hundred-and-fifnteen year old, you look amazing."

She blushed again. "Thank you."

We sat there and talked for about an hour, well past the point where both our glasses were empty. Things were going well, but we eventually hit one of those awkward pauses where nobody's sure what to say next.

"Can I get you another drink?" I asked abruptly.

"No, thank you, one's enough for me today. I should probably be going…"

"Sure, no problem. Let me, uh, walk you out."  
I walked with her out of the bar/club/whatever it was, and we paused for a moment at a clear fence-railed balcony that overlooked the huge space docks, and beyond that, the expanse of the Nexus.

"Thanks for taking the time to chat," I said, shoulder to shoulder as we leaned on the rail. "It's nice to get to know you a little better."

"The same to you. Thank you for allowing me to butter your language."

"Butter?" I replied with a laugh. "I think you meant, 'butcher.'"

"Oh my! See? Exactly. I proved my point."

"You did great. Honestly. Practice with me anytime you want. Oh, and uh, listen… I know you haven't had the best history with humanity - first contact, and Kadara, and all, but - well, I wanted you to know that we're not all that way." I sighed, searching for the right words that would express what I wanted without being too forward. "Whatever your… preconception is of what a man's like… I'm different."

She turned her head toward me with an analytical, pondering look that was hard to gauge. "No, Grissom… you're really not. Thanks for the drink, though. We should do this again sometime."

 _Crap. Not the response I was hoping for. Not a total loss, though. Gonna be a tough nut to crack, I guess._

"Anytime. I'll buy."

Hester had a 'do not disturb' note on the apartment door when I returned, so I headed over to the Apex lounge and plopped down on the overstuffed couch, feeling more than a little defeated. Ozz was at a work desk, typing furiously on a datapad.

I let out a long sigh. "Are salarian women any easier to understand than asari? Or human, for that matter?"

"I take it the 'cultural exchange' didn't go as well as you'd hoped…" he replied, without looking up.

"See, that's the thing - I thought it went great," I said. "But I don't think I gained any ground."  
"What's that idiom your people use - don't… _sweat_ it?"  
"Ha! Yeah. We're weird, I know."

"Don't sweat it. She'll come to the right conclusion. Hester may be an unregenerate braggart, but you and Devin are honorable and kind. And the commander, of course. The rays will light the sand eventually."

He kept pounding away as he talked, typing so forcefully that I could hear the sound of his slender fingers slapping the datapad from across the room.

"What's got you so worked up?" I asked. "Sounds like you're writing a novel over there."

"I'm cataloguing evidence," he replied. "I've learned the hard way, no one will take you at your word around here."

"Evidence of what?"

"We finally got that blackbox back from the technical team in operations-"

"Let me guess - still nothing?"

The shuttle's flight recorder that we worked so hard to find on Kadara ended up being a dud. Nothing recoverable. The tech team was a last-ditch attempt.

"Oh, they found something…" Ozz said, obviously perturbed. "It wasn't damaged. It was intentionally wiped."

"What? Why the hell would scavengers wipe it?"

"That's just it - I don't think the would - or could. It takes a high level of sophistication to erase data like that. I think someone on the station did it."

"But… why? We really need that ark to help power this place."

"I don't know, but I'm cataloguing everything," he replied, still banging on the datapad. "There's something very wrong going on around here, involving a lot of power-players in leadership. I made the mistake of trusting the wrong people once. I won't let it happen again."


	9. Eavesdropping

**_—_** _Ozz Medrilo —_

I awoke with a jolt, suddenly wide-eyed and alert. There were chemicals in my blood stream, enough to make me quiver with unused energy, as my heart and lungs increased to uncomfortable levels. I sat up swiftly, and regretted it - the room began to spin around me and I nearly fainted. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, and after a matter of seconds, I was back to normal.

There was a turian in front of me, holding a datapad. A nurse, I assumed. She wore an expression of consternation and uncertainty as she searched my face intently.

"Mister Medrilo? Are you alright?"

"Perfectly," I replied, wiggling my fingers, which still felt a bit of stiffness. "So we've arrived, then? I thought six hundred years would feel like a longer sleep, to be honest, but it's like I was instantaneously translated from waking moment to waking moment. Delightful!"  
"Yes, we're here," she replied, "but things are in a bad state. We woke you up because we need you help."

Just as my pulse was finally returning to an acceptable resting rate, the implications of her words send my heart sprinting again, as my mind began running through disaster scenarios. Had we struck a foreign object en route to our destination? Did we experience a power outage? Encounter hostile native forces? Did we experience navigational failure and arrive in the wrong star cluster? I considered these, and dozens more in rapid succession, before my mouth caught up enough to ask a question.

"What kind of trouble? Why me? What do you need me to do?"

"Spirits, where do I start? Here's the short version. We hit an energy cloud that damaged the station… the senior leadership died in the event, and a salarian named Jarun Tann is the acting director. The arks haven't shown up, and the security team tried to mutiny, so the he exiled them. And when that group left, they took the technician who was supposed to work on life support systems, and they're crashing, and we need you to fix them as soon as possible."

"Terrific." I said with a sigh. I could feel a headache brewing. "What sort of life support system? How long do I have? Interior or exterior? What tools are available? What-"

"Let me… just take you to it," she interrupted. "I'm just a med assistant. Can you walk? Do you need water?"

"Hand me a bottle. I'll drink it on the way. Let's go. You said it was urgent, right?"

"Right. Yes. Just follow me."

The under-informed assistant led me down a series of brightly-lit corridors and onto a tram. After a short ride, she took me to a row of apartments where the senior leadership team and staff lived. Once we were close, I didn't need her to show me where the problem was - I could smell the smoke even before I saw it seeping out of a wall panel in little white billows.

"What's up there?" I asked, pointing at the telltale panel.

"I'm not sure," she said, "but the apartments aren't getting the right amount of oxygen. We had to reroute air from hydropinics, but it takes too much energy, and now we're close to losing the plants. It's… a mess."

"Bring me a ladder, and whatever repair tools you have handy," I instructed, running causality scenarios in my mind. "I'll find the problem."

She returned after an agonizingly protracted time, pushing a wheeled cart with a haphazardly-assembled conglomeration of _actual_ tools, and things that apparently looked 'techy' to a medical assistant. I dismissed her, and set out to diagnose the problem, removing the panel to thin out the smoke, and following the trail that remained through the access duct. It was a tight, hot, and odorous passage, requiring me to crawl at a frustratingly snaillike pace, but at the end was the obvious problem. Faulty wiring caused the oxygen scrubbers to overheat. It was a simple fix, and I set out at once to repair the system.

After working in relative silence for several minutes, I heard the shuffling of feet below me, and the whoosh of a sliding door airlocking. Curious, I paused to listen more closely.

"We shouldn't be in here," one voice said. A human female. "Everyone's on edge right now. It looks bad."

"It _is_ bad," the response came, a human male.

"Spit it out, then! What's so important it can't wait?"

"It's the krogan. They're irate - threatening to leave."

"Leave? Why?"

"They got the impression, _somehow_ , that Tann was going to give them a seat on the leadership panel."

"Why the hell would they get _that_ idea?"

"You've got me…."

"Don't you lie to me, Spender," the woman said aggressively. "What did you say to them?"

"Nothing! I swear! Just that we needed their help to get rid of Sloane and the mutineers, and we'd scratch their backs if they scratched ours. Now, they're demanding a say in the affairs of the whole station, and their own colony…"

"Colony? Are they insane?"

There was silence for a moment, before the woman continued. "You're telling me they just concocted this idea, all on their own?"

"We're talking about krogan, Foster. They're not the sharpest knives in the drawer."

The woman sighed, and muttered something I couldn't make out. "Remind me never to put you in a diplomatic position again. Tann will never give them a seat on the panel, and I'm sure as hell not going to give them a damned colony. I'll… go and speak with their leaders and see if I can talk them into staying. In the meantime, keep your damned mouth shut on this. I don't want word getting out. The last thing we need is another panic."

"Of course," the male voice replied. There were more footsteps, and the whoosh of the door. I had hardly begun processing the information when the male voice spoke up again. The door had only opened and closed once. He was alone.

"Hey, it's me. Addison knows," he began, apparently speaking to someone over a headset or similar communication device.

"…well, because I _told_ her," the voice said after a pause. "She was gonna find out eventually. Need to control the perception on every end, or it won't just be my ass that gets spaced."

 _Oh my - this is juicy!_ I harkened back to my STG days - _collect evidence. Always evidence. Data is paramount._ I quickly summoned a sound-recording application on my omni-tool, and continued listening.

"…she won't…" the voice said. "She thinks I'm stupid, but loyal. You're safe. Trust me… …well, you don't really have another choice, do you? … … The krogan are furious. Gotta love those short tempers. I played them like a fiddle. They feel like Tann pulled the rug out from under them… … oh, they already blame him. This is gonna blow up in his face. They're leaving, count on it… … oh, that's, that's genius! You think you can pull that off in time? That would take care of the biggest threat in one fell swoop… … What do you need from me? I can still pull some strings… … but, I can- … … fine, _fine_. Whatever. Just remember who got you here… … okay, fine. Bye… … assholes. Try to cut me out, huh? We'll see who's 'no longer necessary to the larger mission.'"

The door whooshed again, and there was silence. The implications of my overheard conversation were dire and urgent. Possibly even more so than the need for oxygen scrubbers. I didn't feel like crawling all the way through the torturous ductwork again, though, so I quickly finished the repairs to the wiring, and once I ensured the scrubbers were functioning at an acceptable capacity again, I went straight to the operations deck to share my findings.

It took fifteen minutes of pestering, fast-talking and threatening to push my way into the colonial affairs office, but I arrived at last, and went straight to the director - Foster Addison.

"Miss Addison - I need to speak with you. It's very urgent," I said.

"Who are you, and who let you in here?" She replied curtly.

"Ozz Medrilo, I'm… a mechanic."

She sighed sharply, with a hand on her hip. "Well, what is it, then? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy."

"I have reason to believe one of your subordinates has been working to intentionally undermine both you and Director Tann."

"I can't imagine _what_ you're talking about," she said, glaring at me fiercely and motioning with her head. I followed her to the far corner of the room, where she continued in hushed tones, to avoid being overheard by the other workers nearby. "What do you know. Spill it!"

"I… overheard a conversation that a ' _Spender_ ' had with an unknown associate, where he seemed to imply that he was intentionally stirring up dissension between the krogan leadership and director Tann."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And you heard this how?"

I suddenly realized I had failed to account for a rather troublesome flaw in my plan.

"I… uh… well, overheard it, as I was doing repairs… in the apartments near hydroponics."

The light hit the sand, and she inhaled sharply. "You little bastard. You were eavesdropping on me!"

"Not… intentionally. But what I heard-"

"Is what? The confessions of a dolt who screwed up his job? I said nothing wrong, and neither did Spender. You're barking up the wrong tree. I don't have time for this."

"Just wait - wait! I have proof."

 _Dammit, Ozz! Why did you say that? Why? Oh, mouth, why do you keep betraying me!_

Addison's annoyance turned to seething, marginally-restrained rage. "Proof of what? A mechanic trying to concoct a conspiracy theory? You heard _nothing_ ," she hissed. "You understand me? Do you understand what a razor-thin peace we're hanging onto here? No, you don't, so let me spell it out for you. If I can't talk the krogan down, we'll have a worse mutiny on our hands than Sloan's. And when those krogan come looking for salarian blood, you think they'll stop with Tann? Huh? You think they won't string your entrails from this deck like Christmas garland? No, you heard nothing. You breathe a _word_ of this, and you and I will both be dead. I suggest you crawl back into whatever hole you came out of, and take your 'proof' with you."

I was shaking so violently on the staircase down to the tram that I fell, tumbling the last dozen steps and landing with a thud on the cold, hard boarding platform. Anger was overshadowed by fear in my brain. If Addison didn't come for me, the krogan likely would.

I was growing more paranoid by the moment, as I rode the tram back to the docking bay. All my STG counter-espionage training turned on me, feasting on my fears, and painting assassins in every shadow. I wandered for hours down hallways and staircases, becoming disastrously lost, until I finally gave up, slouching into a corner. I sat on the floor, resting my head against the wall, and was about to fall asleep, when I heard a pair of footsteps approaching. I jumped to my feet, and started to run, but someone else came from a side hallway, catching me from behind with some kind of taser. After a moment of excruciating pain, I went numb, unable to do anything but watch in horror as a group of masked men circled around me. They picked me up, carrying me down a series of dark hallways, until at last, we reached the cryo bay.

"Nap time, Squidward," one of them said, as they placed me back into a pod.

"Wait - gotta get the omni-tool first," another one said. Still numb, I heard a shuffling sound, then footsteps walking away, and finally, the soft hiss of air pressurization, as the pod lid lowered over me. I tried to hold my breath - tried to fight the chemicals inducing sleep, but it was useless. In a matter of seconds, I was drifting off.

And then in an instant, I was awake again, gasping for breath, and staring at another Turian. I rotated my wrist, where my omni-tool should've been. Nothing.

 _A cover-up. So, I_ was _onto something. But who's to blame? Addison? Spender? This unnamed contact he was working with? It doesn't matter - whatever they're up to, it's not worth dying over. I wonder what day it is? What year it is? Maybe this turian knows…_

"Ozz Medrilo," she said, reading from a chart in her hand. "Says here you're former STG?"

I cleared my throat, coughing through the mucus that had settled there over some indeterminate span of time. "Former," I emphasized.

"Close enough. Tiran Kandros needs to speak to you."


	10. Homecoming

**_—_** _Grissom Wade —_

Give it long enough, and any place can become homey - or at least, something kinda like homey. Hewlett Hall at Wainsfield University, bunk 16B at the academy barracks, even the fold-down cot on my counter-terrorism division shuttle… all got at least a bit of that 'I'm home now' special sauce after a while. It was inevitable that the Nexus would get some of that, too, and after almost 6 months, it finally did. Mostly. I hated the confined spaces of a 2-mile-long floating building, but I loved the missions. Apex sent us all over the place - we spent days at a time on Voeld, and the overgrown jungles of the Angaran homeworld, Havarl. I even got deployed to one of the killer robot-infested ancient ruins on Elaaden… but never Eos. That was probably for the best. As rough and untamed as it was, Eos still had a "home" flavor in my mind. Staying away made it easier to be ok with living in a glorified spaceship. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying to get back there.

I kept looking for opportunities to volunteer for a mission to Eos, or even catch a ride on a supply shuttle, but Kandros kept a tight leash on all his Apex members. We had to stay ready to jump on a shuttle whenever he called. Consequently, keeping up with Josie was tough. I wrote her every couple weeks. Most times she'd write back, but as the months started piling up, her messages got more and more spread out. She was busy - promoted, and in charge of a bunch of important-sounding things. And then, she had always been on the hard-to-get side, so there was that, too. I was on the don't-know-when-to-quit side, though, so I kept plugging away.

You'd think, with Josie so distant, Keelan so busy, and Grady six feet under, I would've been lonely, but that part of life was actually going great. Cho, Hester and I became good friends - even if we did grate each-other's nerves sometimes. Brann and Ozz had their own quirks, but relying on each other in the field created a kind of brotherhood, even across species. And then there was Paladra.

What started out as an effort to get her to re-think humans evolved over time into an oddly-close friendship. We got together for 'cultural exchange' times every few weeks, meeting in as many different locations as the half-constructed Nexus would allow. Sometimes, the event was more about exploring the space station than exploring cultures, but either way, it was always a good time. I didn't realize how big of a friend-hole those talks were filling until they stopped.

Scott Ryder and the Pathfinder team found the asari ark, the Leusenia, and it was understandably big news on the Nexus. Kandros released Paladra from her commitment to Apex so she could travel to the ark and reconnect with her people there. I really didn't expect her to come back, and, well… it sucked. I spent weeks going through the motions - talking, shooting, living like normal, but underneath the busyness, everything just felt… _off_. The rest of my friends didn't even have time to get worried about me, though. Three weeks after she left, Paladra came back, _requesting_ to be reassigned to Apex Echo. I was stunned - in a good way. Obviously, my culture-defending changed her mind about Echo team, but to leave the asari and come back to volunteer for a dangerous post? I had to know why. I scheduled a catch-up meeting as soon as possible.

—

As useful as it was, there was always something not quite right about hydroponics. Rows, and rows, and _endless_ rows of juvenile plants, growing without one spec of dirt. Nutrient-enriched water flowed through clear channels, running along glossy white support bars that also provided diffused white light for the row of plants underneath. In a way, it was beautiful - seeing the whole root system underwater - but it still seemed unnatural. I preferred wide open spaces. Give me rows of plants in good, real, dirt any day.

Our conversation got off to a slow start, as we took in the sights, but eventually, Paladra and I hit our stride, and we got to the first actual cultural question of the day.

"Alright, so let's talk about hair," I said, strolling side by side with her.

"… okay. Care to be a little more specific?" She replied with a chuckle.

"Like, take you, for instance. You don't have any hair on your head, or… well, anywhere."

"Right…"

"But you have eyelashes. I know the eyebrows are tattooed on, but your lashes - I mean, don't take this weird, but, they're really nice."

"Thanks! A lady should never reject a compliment," she replied, with that unwavering Irish lilt. "Not weird at all. 'Hair,' though… you know, it's funny - I never thought of them in that context."

"But - they're _hair_. What other context did you think of 'em in?"

"The same as the cilia in the ear canal or lungs, I suppose. I don't know, I think I'd refer to them more as tiny tentacles or micro-appendages, but when you put it that way, they do seem very hair-like."

"So, is that a 'wow, cool!' thing, or an 'eww, gross!' thing?" I asked, one eyebrow raised in mock-scrutiny.

She laughed. "It's… more of an 'appreciate the beauty in diversity' thing, I suppose," she said, playfully tussling my hair. She ran her fingers along my scalp for a brief moment, then retracted her hand abruptly. For as 'touchy-feely' as asari were supposed to be, she rarely made any physical contact with me at all. "Sorry - I didn't mean to… um… I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable…"

"What? Jacking up my hair?" I replied. "Hell, it's not really combed anyway. Knock yourself out."

She gave me a quizzical, uncertain look. I clarified.

"Oh - 'knock yourself out' means, go right ahead, proceed as it pleases you. Sorry, I keep forgetting about the idioms."

"That's ok - I'll just keep learning them," she replied, arms folded. "So, about hair, then. I'll be honest - body hair is a little unusual-seeming to me. Not bad, just… different. No offense-"

"None taken."

"But I think the hair that human women have on their heads is absolutely beautiful. All the different shapes and colors it can take… I'm envious. Not much you can do with these," she trailed off, running her hands down the slope of her head crest.

"Not much you _need_ to do with 'em," I replied. "I think they look great. I can appreciate the beauty in diversity, too."

She rolled her eyes. " _Right_. Well… thanks anyway."

We came upon a bench-sized storage crate, and sat for a bit, almost hidden in the jungle-like overgrowth of the older rows of plants. She rotated from shoulder to shoulder to face me, eyes animated and playful.

"Alright, it's my turn for a question. This friend of yours, _Josie_ … are you in love with her?"

"Um, wow. That's… kinda forward."

"Come on," she said with a laugh, "we agreed - no questions are off-limits. It's a fair thing to ask. You _do_ talk about her quite a lot."

"No I don't," I rebutted, feeling oddly defensive about the subject.

She folded her arms and tilted her head with a 'not fooling me' look.

"Okay, so maybe I do," I confessed. "But we're friends. Of course I would."

"So there's really nothing more?" She asked, a little more serious now. "I don't know, it just all seemed so _romantic_ \- she being the first person you saw out of cryo, and you saving her life in the cave, then she saved you from those wraiths…"

I let out a long sigh _. What_ is _Josie to me? After Advent, I thought… hell, I don't know what I thought. Seemed like we were on the same page, but maybe it was just me getting the wrong idea. Maybe, though… if I had stayed on Eos, declined the Apex offer…_

"Truth is, I don't really know," I answered after thinking for a while. "I do care about her, but… I don't know if the feeling's mutual."

"You're a rare man, Grissom. I'm sure she'll see that."

"Yeah… I guess we'll see."

"I hope so, at least. It would make for a nice story. I've always been a bit of a romantic, you know. My mother never married for romance. She was poor, my father was rich, old and sterile - biologically, of course. It was more of a business partnership between them."

"Well, that stinks. Sorry."

"Oh, it's alright. It seemed perfectly normal to me as a child. My father was a salarian stock broker - he died before I was old enough to really remember him. He left me a great inheritance - enough for me and my mother to be comfortable on our own. I always wanted more for her, though. Someone to 'sweep her off her feet,' as you say." She sighed wistfully. "That's what I always enjoyed about human literature - your people write such beautiful love stories. Asari are no strangers to romance, of course, but the human stories are just so… raw, and imperfect, full of… hurt, and uncertainty, but - well, not _always_ , but usually - with a happy ending."

This girl was an enigma. Clearly, she didn't loathe human culture - I'm not sure she ever did. So what was it that bothered her so much about being around humans on Apex? Was it me? I had to know.

"Alright, I have to ask you something," I said. "it's been bugging me."

"Okay…"

"You like human food… hair, love stories… so… what is it that you hate about us so much that you wanted to quit the team? Back at the beginning… Was it… me?"

All the playfulness drained out of her face, as her expression changed from curiosity to surprise and hurt. Her eyes searched my face for a moment, welling up with tears. "You th-… you think I _hate_ you? Goddess, Grissom… doesn't our friendship… I came back, didn't I?"

A tear escaped her eye, cutting me like a knife wound. I felt like a total jackass. "No, not now, I guess. I… I just… when you were talking to Sajax…"

The light came on for her. "So you _did_ overhear that…" she sighed, wiping her cheek. "I'm so sorry… that must have been… very hurtful for you. I can… I can explain."

"You don't have to," I said reassuringly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, I need to. I did't say those things because I don't like you or your people. I wanted to get away because it… brings up painful memories for me, things I thought I could keep buried... but I was wrong." She let out a long, audible exhale, and continued with a pained smile. "I met a man, back when I was working with the commandos. Dougray. He was a farmer on Tiptree, and they had this terrible flood one year. My unit came to offer assistance, and when we met, he and I - we had that 'spark,' you know? From the very beginning."

She trailed off for a moment. "I came back every chance I could get… I even faked an illness once to get time off to visit him. We were lovers, and he was…" her tears returned, as her voice wavered. "… so kind, and gentle. He loved me well."

"I'm guessing he's not here. What happened?"

"He's, um… he's… gone. About a year before the arks left, he told me he was afraid the Batarians were planning something, some kind of attack. I tried to look into it, but my I was caught up in the Traverse with the geth war. Then, a month later, I saw it… in the headlines. A group of terrorists hit the colony, killed men and women, carried of children to be slaves. I deserted my post to get there. I was… … I found his body in the back yard…" Her tears turned to sobs.

"Wow. That's… I'm sorry," I said, reaching out to pull her into my arms. Stand-off'ish or not, she needed a hug. After a minute or two of crying, she pulled away, a little more composed, but still emotional.

"I'm sorry," she said, with a self-conscious smile. ""I didn't expect to be that… upset about it…"

"Hey, don't be sorry," I reassured her. "Bottle all that stuff up, and it's gonna come out eventually. Sometimes you gotta pull it out and just feel it."

She nodded, continuing. "Well, losing Dougray the way I did… it broke me. I resigned my post, went to live with my mother for a while. I was just _empty_. When you… share so much with someone, share your body, your soul… and then you lose them? I didn't know how to get better. I joined the Initiative to get away from it all - terrorists and slavers, and geth, and violence altogether… but it's here, too. Maybe different faces and names, but the same characters. And then I met you… and you remind me, so much… _so much_ of him… I wanted to run, but I'm glad I didn't. I would rather have your friendship, even if it… makes me cry sometimes. Besides, you can't get better by running away."

I pulled her back in, and this time, she didn't lean away. She needed my friendship as much as I needed hers… even if both our social worlds were about to expand.

Five days after Paladra rejoined Apex Echo, we got relocated.

To Eos.

In an effort to become more efficient at getting help where it was needed, Kandros sent several Apex teams to new, planet-side bases. Bravo went to Elaaden, which made sense - they were mostly krogan, anyway. Charlie and Delta went to Voeld, which was still the largest battleground between allied forces and the Kett. Alpha - the best of the best - stayed on the Nexus, along with a rebuilt Foxtrot team. As for me and the rest of Echo team, we were assigned to the red rock planet, which was getting more attention from the Kett, now that our colony was growing.

As soon as our shuttle entered the atmosphere, all that Nexus-feeling-like-home stuff went out the window. This - the breezy, sandy soil, the sheer, striped canyon walls, the mesas, the valleys, the ugly scrubby bush-tree-things around every pond or lake - this was more like it. This was _land_. We circled around Prodromos to make our final approach, and I was blown away. Green, living things extended in every direction from the lake, actually growing in native soil. I'd only been gone for seven months, but you'd think it was more like seven years. New, multi-story administration buildings were clustered on the north shore, connected to a multi-shuttle landing pad by an actual paved road. It was phenomenal.

I emailed Josie when I heard the news, and was searching the landing pad for her like a goober, as we slowly came to a rest. _What'd you expect, you moron,_ I chided myself, scanning the dozen or so faces on the tarmac one last time just to be sure. No Josie. _She's busy actually doing things, remember? Or did you expect her to come running with a bouquet of flowers and cheesy violin music in the background? Just lower your expectations, Wade._

I grabbed my one, small box of personal belongings, and followed the caravan of bodies to the most exciting thing I'd seen in a long time - my own room. Granted, it was small - like a studio efficiency apartment - but it had a bed, a couch, a toilet and shower, a miniature refrigerator… and it was all mine. My guns stayed in the armory at our new headquarters, so once I started unpacking in my new place, all I had in my one box was the stuff I brought from _home_ home. A framed, old-school printed photo of me with my brothers, Jonathan and Levi, at my high school graduation, my music bank - loaded with 30,000 songs from the good 'ol days, my purple heart { _The Purple Heart - a medal awarded to armed forces members who are wounded in service_. } from Ferris Fields, and my lucky Dallas Cowboys cap. It wasn't enough to fill one shelf, but it was my life in stuff-form. I arranged them on my glass-top desk, and tried out my bunk-sized bed. It slept better than I expected.

I was out for almost 2 hours, when a knock on my door woke me up. I sprang out of bed, throwing my hat on to cover for whatever messy state my hair was in, and opened the door. It was Josie. I was impressed again with just how beautiful she was. My memory hadn't kept up with the real thing. But then, she wasn't the same as the last time I'd seen her. Girls like Josie didn't need makeup to look attractive… but that didn't mean the effect was wasted on her. Standing in my doorway, her lips were a little redder, eyelids a little shaded, lashes a little thicker - even her hair was dressed up, formed into long, soft curls and highlighted with the occasional streak of blue. She was a masterpiece - at least, in my eyes.

"I heard they put you up in here," she said, eyeing the apartment behind me. "Can't lie - I'm totally jealous. The rest of us 'common' folks are still in bunks."

"I just go where they tell me," I replied, unable to look anywhere but straight at her, "and I am _really_ glad that happens to be back here. I missed this place. … I missed _you_."

"Yeah, well… everything's so different here than it was when you left. It, uh… might not be the same Eos you remember."

I tried reading between the lines, wondering if there was another layer of meaning beneath her words. If so, I didn't like the implications.

"Sure, but - I mean, some things don't change. Like you. You look… amazing."

"Thanks. You look… the same," she said, scrunching her eyebrows and tilting her head with a 'that's not right' smile. "Sorry - that sounds kinda-"

"It's, uh… same is good," I replied, stumbling over my words. "I'm good with the same."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Yep." We looked at each other uncomfortably. The situation couldn't have been more awkward if we'd been standing in a vat of pork rind-flavored jello.

"So… you gonna invite me in, or are we just gonna hang out in the doorway?" she finally said, breaking the conversational stalemate. I brought her in, and we sat on my small, not-in-the-least-bit comfortable couch, catching each other up on the last seven months. It wasn't a _bad_ conversation, it was just… careful. We were both tiptoeing around the elephant in the room, but neither of us felt like bringing it up. After a half hour, she got up, heading back to her bunk, but pausing in the doorway.

"It's good to have you back here, Grissom," she said, face sincere. "I hope you get to stay for a while this time."

"Me too," I said, kicking myself for ever leaving. Things were so good, so 'right' before. I just wanted it back. We stood across the doorway from each other, wavering in middle-school level uncertainty about whether we should hug, or handshake, or what. I opted for 'hug,' and she timidly joined in, though it was much more friend-zone flavored than reunited-lovers passionate. "It's really good to see you again, Josie. Catch up with you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. See ya."

I went back on my bed once she left, staring at the featureless ceiling as the last colors of twilight faded to dark outside my window. Things were a little more distant with her than I expected, and it kinda sucked.

The next morning, I met up with the rest of Echo Team and a few dozen upper-level soldiers and civilians at the outpost cafeteria for breakfast. It was still dark outside at 6am, and you could tell pretty easily which faces belonged to morning people - and which ones stayed up a little too late the night before. I was a lifelong member of the early bird club, so 6am was no hurdle to me, and I came into the day full of positivity and hope. And then I got my food tray, and a little of that hope leaked out.

Oatmeal. And a cylindrical stick that was supposed to be a synthesized representation of what sausage would taste like - if it had, you know, actual meat inside it, or something. Gone were the days of gourmet meals at the glass-ceiling paradise on the Nexus. _Be thankful_ , I reminded myself. _It comes with one hell of a view outside_.

I took my tray over to the drink buffet to get some synthesized tastes-kinda-like orange juice, and was almost finished filling my kid-sized cup, when Leighton Royce came up to me.

"Hey man, welcome back," he said. "Can I, um, talk to you about something for a minute?" He motioned toward the nearby corner of the room.

"Sure," I replied, a little apprehensive as I followed him. "What's up?"

"I wanted to give you a heads-up, since I know we're all gonna be working together, and I don't want anything to be… well, awkward. Um… so, I know you have a bit of a… history with Josie. You should know, she and I… we're kind-of a… _thing_. I hope that won't be a problem."

I smiled a tight-lipped smile, and gripped my tray to keep my hands from gripping his neck. _Kind-of a thing? With_ Royce _? That's like leaving G.I. Joe for Ken. You just…. no. You can't do that. Sure, he has the whole six-foot-four, blonde hair, blue eyed, perfect beard, mister sensitive, stay-here-while-Grissom-left-me thing going on but OOOOOHHHHH MY GOSH, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? She's dating mister perfect? Crap crap CRAP!_ Suddenly, it all made sense - the gradual distance over emails, the uncomfortable, friend-zone treatment… _Grissom, you stupid,_ stupid _boy…_

I understood guy-talk all too well. He was staking his claim, marking his territory. I was supposed to give the concession speech and slowly back away from her. The thing he failed to consider, though, is that G.I. Joe doesn't give concession speeches, and he sure as hell doesn't concede anything to freakin' Ken.

"Hell, Royce, that's no problem at all," I said, lowering my voice instinctively to sound a little deeper. "We're all adults here. I'm sure we can figure it out, 'cause the three of us _will_ be working together. _A lot_. And you're right - she and I do have quite a history. As long as _you're_ not uncomfortable with that, I think we'll be just fine."

He grimaced and exhaled audibly through his nose. "That's all I needed. Just… be advised that, um… well… anyway, okay."

"… Alright, then. Enjoy your breakfast."

I watched as he took his tray and sat next to her. Josie's dark-circled eyes lit up when she spoke, accompanied by a tired smile. Even her body seemed more animated when he sat next to her. The rest of my early bird hope sputtered out like a balloon you lose hold of before you can tie it off. _Damnit. Maybe he's not bluffing_ …

My mind went off on a tangent, imagining his manscaped beard kissing her face and neck, his boy-like fingers undressing her, their bodies tangled up and writhing in the moonlight like _aaaaawwwww HELL no! Hell. No. Football! Tanks! Football in tanks! Anything but this_ … I had to get distracted, and fast. I took my tray to the far side of the room and sat next to some dude who was studying underground earthquakes or something like that. He was talkative, so I mostly nodded and ate in silence, brooding over the bad news. At first I was angry, but eventually, I was just bummed. Josie was further away than I thought, and I had no one to blame but myself.

—

The surprising reunion with Josie had me bummed for days. The guys could tell I needed a pick-me-up, so at the end of our first week of patrols, Hester, Cho, Ozz and I took a Nomad out a few miles to a small, deep crater-turned-pond, and swam for a few hours.

"You sure nobody else knows about this place?" I asked, floating in the bathwater-temperature liquid. It was more viscous than the water on Earth - you could lay perfectly still and just float for hours.

"Nope," Hester answered. "And even if they did, it would take a Nomad to realistically get here, and nobody but Apex can check out the Nomads."

"Still not used to the special treatment," Cho said. "Especially back here with my old squadmates."

"Are you kidding?" Hester fired back. "It's the least they could do. We're eating peasant food, sweating our freakin' asses off doing patrols… they owe us that much." He wasn't quite as excited about the return to Eos as I was. "And the icing on the crapcake? There are, like, six asari on the whole freakin' planet, and the only one who will even give me the time of day is all doe-eyed for _Grissy-poo_." He delivered that last line in his corniest falsetto voice, fluttering his eyelashes like a cartoon character.

"Oh, can it!" I groaned, reaching out to dunk him under the water. After a short scuffle, we both got tired of the unbelievably salty taste of Eos water in our mouths, and called a truce.

"She's into you, bro," he reiterated. "Gotta crush that while you can."

"I told you, it's really not like that," I answered. "We. Are. Friends. End of story."

"Ozz?" He appealed. " _You_ see it, right?"

"Honestly, no. I think your attraction filter is broken."

"Oh, that's right. You're all business, no fun," he said, with rolled eyes. "Cho? Back me up here, man."

"It's… possible, I guess," he said. "But then, you do have a crazy blue fetish, so it could just be that."

"She's a nice girl. A good friend," I restated, to myself and to them. _Which is apparently as far as Grissom Wade can go with anyone_ , I mused cynically. I closed my eyes and floated weightlessly, allowing the breeze to cool my face, as I remembered all that could have been. _Friends. Just friends_.


	11. Hostages

Life on Eos was harder than I remembered it. Environmentally, it was way better - the oxygen was almost earth-level, clouds and rain were getting more consistent, and the temperature in the valley ranged from the upper 80's to the mid 40's. The new challenge came from an increased Kett presence. Armed patrols often encountered Kett soldiers, and the rest of Echo and I couldn't seem to go three days without armed combat. It was exhausting, but encouraging - little by little, the Initiative was expanding our reach and pushing back the enemy.

On the personal side, things with Josie were as confusing as ever. Some days, it was like I'd never left. Others, it was like I hardly existed. Whatever her "thing" with Royce was, it wasn't serious enough to make me give up on pursuing her, but it took an awful lot of determination to keep trying. On those days when I didn't exist to Josie, I invested time building other friendships, none more so than with Paladra. We picked back up our cultural exchange talks after getting settled in our new post, and six weeks later, we were on our 4th meeting. Like we did on the Nexus, we used these times to go exploring, so I checked a Nomad out and drove her to the "secret" pond the guys and I discovered earlier. She was impressed.

"This… is perfect!" She said in wonderment, as we stepped outside our vehicle. "It's like a little hidden… oh, what do you call the body of water in the desert?"

"An oasis," I said.

"Exactly! What a lovely word - _oasis_. It sounds very Thessian, don't you think? … like the name for… well, for a body of water like this, I suppose. This place is fantastic! I love it. It's very green - for Eos."

Paladra wasn't as fond of the desert mesa look as I was. She was right about the pond, though - it was beautiful. Viney, ivy-looking things grew in tangled, sprawling fingers around the water, climbing straight up the cliff face that rose 20-30 feet above the surface in a semi-circle. In the hazy distance, black columns jutted out of the soil - some sort of remnant technology structure that had quit working ages ago.

The topic of the day was 'music,' so I pulled out a guitar I borrowed from one of the militia guys, and did my best to tune it up. She sat cross-legged on the cushion of ivy leaves, elbows on her knees and chin on her hands, waiting for me with eager anticipation. I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're just a _little_ excited for music day, aren't you?"

"I told you, I love folk music," she said in that endearing accent that almost had a singsongy quality to it. "Especially played live. It's just better that way."

"Well, temper your expectations," I cautioned her. "I haven't played in years. Gonna be a bit rusty."

"Consider them tempered, then," she said with a salute.

I strummed a 'G' chord, and it sounded close enough to good. "Alright - whatta you wanna hear first?"

"Ooh - play me one of your church songs," she said, way too giddy for someone so graceful and refined. "I haven't heard many of those."

"Okay, you got it. Let's see… church song…" I tried a few chords until I found a workable key, and started singing.

 _"_ _When peace like a river attendeth my way_

 _When sorrows like sea billows roll_

 _Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say_

 _'_ _It is well, it is well with my soul_

 _…_

 _My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought_

 _My sin, not in part, but the whole_

 _Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more_

 _Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul_

So… what do you think?" I asked after finishing, a little nervous.

"It was beautiful!" She said, swooning. "I love how English sounds when it's sung. And the themes of peace and forgiveness… you know, most species view human religion as being closed-minded and judgmental, but you - and your songs - you make it sound so much more about… I don't know… healing… and acceptance."

"Yeah, well, humans get the wrong idea, too. But if you go by the book, it's a lot more like the song version."

"I'll take your version, then. Play another one. _Please_ …"

I played for a half hour, covering everything from "Amazing Grace" to "Sweet Home Alabama," and throwing in a few newer songs for fun. If Paladra had her way, I would've gone for hours, but my fingertips were so sore from a dozen or so songs that I thought they'd fall right off my body.

"Alright, missy - it's your turn now," I said, packing up my guitar. "Play me some traditional asari stuff."

"Ugh! Okay, but you temper _your_ expectations way, way down," she said bashfully. "I'm not nearly as musical as you are."

"Well, since I don't know asari music, I won't notice the difference between good and so-so," I countered, with a smile.

She went to the Nomad, and returned with a box full of glass cylinders of various sizes, and a pitcher of colored water. She arranged the cylinders carefully in a hexagon-like cluster, each with a different amount of water inside.

"This is a traditional asari instrument, called a 'sumsara,'" she explained. "We fill these bowls with water, then vibrate them using biotics to create different sounds. A talented sumsarist can control dozens of bowls at a time, but I stopped taking music lessons when I was eleven, so…"

"Wait? You took music lessons? Oh man, expectations just went way back up!" I teased.

"Hey, do you want to hear it or not?" She shot back, hand on her hip.

"Okay, okay. Expecting nothing…"

"Alright. Here we go."

She closed her eyes, obviously concentrating hard, and ripples started forming in several of the cylinders. The sound was hard to explain - like a slow-moving, breathy synthesizer, but with the rich, ringing tones of a woodwind instrument. The chords were strange - everything was harmonic (the asari avoided musical dissonance of any kind), but complicated and layered. It was odd, but very nice, and without a doubt, relaxing.

"Beautiful," I applauded with a slow handclap when she finished. "You did great. But, there's something it's missing."

"What?"

"Singing. C'mon, sing one of your folk songs for me."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh, no no… I don't sing."

"What? Why not?" Her voice had the smoothest, most melodic quality of anyone I'd ever known. There's no way she could be bad at it.

"Because I'm not any good at it. Trust me, save your ears."

"Oh, no ma'am," I replied with a good-natured scolding. "We said nothing's off-limits, right? And I sang a whole bunch of songs for you. You've gotta do at least one."

She sighed and relented. "Okay… but you'll need to turn your translator off, so you can hear it in classical Attena, like it was meant to be heard.

"You got it," I replied, turning my translator off. "I'm ready whenever you are." She stood silent, biting her lip nervously. " _Paladra_ …"

"Oh, alright!" She let out another sigh. "Just… don't look at me, okay?"

"No promises," I said with a wink.

"Ugh! Okay, here goes…

" _Fin therell mast, satila nos amalee_

 _Fin estha nall, suterra mu terramie_

 _Kal'ehm mon sann, kal'em tsu bal_

 _Ess um thiara, mon telta n'alsee_

 _Fathala mass sune, fathala mass sune_

 _Ess ere telme, fathala mass sune_

 _Kal'the lem'tiana non parthe mai lune_

 _Kal'the un sama, fathala mass sune"_

I was captivated. Something about the asari head just resonated differently than human skulls, and the sound of her singing… it had an impossible smoothness to it. I could've laid on the ivy and listened to it all day. She opened her eyes once the song was finished, and blushed immediately.

"Hey! I told you not to watch," she said with a bashful smile.

"I couldn't help it," I replied. "That was lovely. I mean, I have no idea what it means, but it was really nice. Where'd you get it in your head that you don't sing well?"

She rolled her eyes. "Trust me - if you heard good asari singers, you'd understand."

"Well then, I'm glad the only one who'll sing for me is you."

"Thanks," she said with a shrug.

"So, what does your song mean?"

"It's… an old folktale about a woman who lost her first love at sea. She goes to the sea goddess to ask to see her one last time, but the lover's already returned to the depths, so the goddess turns the woman into a wave, so she and her lover can be together forever."

"Hmm. Okay, well, that's… a little _unique_ … but the song is beautiful. I like hearing your voice in your native language."

"Oh, that's _classical_ , no one really speaks that way anymore. It's like a human reading William Shakespeare. But again, thank you. You're very kind, Grissom. I wish I would've had friends like you when I was a lass."

"What kind of friends did you have?" I asked, as we both took a seat on the edge of the pond.

"The kind who were very competitive… and condescending. I had the money to attend private schools and take dance and music lessons, but not the, um… what's the word? Salapsa?

 _Salapsa_? Is that Attena?

"Oh! Silly me. No translator. Yes, it's a word that means, um… the record of your parents and family history. The birth line you come from."

"Genealogy?" I offered. "Pedigree?"

"Pedigree - yes, that sounds right. I had the money, but not the pedigree. In most circles, I felt more like a stepchild than someone who truly belonged."

"Mean girls in high school, huh? I guess some things are cultural universals."

"Asari may be diplomatic in our government, but we can be… well, I can't think of the term… very cruel to each other with words."

"Well, I'm in your corner, Paddy."

"I know," she said with a closed-mouth smile. "So! Change of subject, but do you think this water is safe? I'm dying to at least dip my toes in."

"Oh sure. I've been swimming here. Underwater, even got some up my nose. It tastes kinda bad, but it's safe enough."

She took her shoes off, and rolled up her pants to her knees, dipping her human-like feet into the clear water, and letting out a contented sigh.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've been able to do this?" She said. "Just to be in water? Wow - I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"Huh. I should've brought you out sooner. Didn't know you liked swimming that much."

"Oh, it's not just me," she said, kicking her feet to make little splashes in the surface. "Most asari are very fond of water. It's probably because we're still close to our roots as a sea-living species. We love seafood and we love swimming. I'm sure there's a cultural part of it, too, but I think most of it is simple biology."

"Well, dang. If I'd of known, I would've told you to bring your swimsuit."

"Swimsuit?" She asked, surprised.  
"Yeah. Or, did you not bring one from back home?"

"Asari don't wear clothing in the water. It's so… restrictive. It may be different in some of the more popular tourist locations, and with asari living among other cultures… but on Thessia and the colony worlds, it would be very strange to see someone wearing anything at the beach. … _aaaaand_ now you're imagining nude asari running through the sand, aren't you?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No. Okay, maybe. Okay - not anymore. I'm back. Totally not thinking of it. At all."

She chuckled. "Sorry, I forgot. That's different for us."

"Yeah, so how is that for you, then? 'Cause I know _you're_ not like this, but asari kinda have a reputation for being… you know… kinda loose with the whole 'clothing' thing."

"Hmm, let's see if I can explain this right. Nudity is a much less… _sexual_ thing for us. Whether it was because of our early years underwater, or being the same gender… it just never has been that way. We wear clothing for fashion, for adjusting to our environment, to keep with social expectations from other cultures, but not for a sense of, um… modesty? Yes, modesty."

"Interesting. So, does it bother you to wear clothing, then?"

"Oh no, not at all," she laughed. "I'd feel very odd without it. I grew up on Ilium, which is, um… _integrated_ with different species. Being clothed in public has always been normal for me. It's only different at home, or with other asari… or in situations like swimming." She paused for a moment, like she was thinking over what to say next. "But… I do really miss swimming. You wouldn't mind if I just take a short little dip, would you?" She turned toward me, slowly unzipping the side of her top and slipping out of it, leaving just a stringy tank top underneath.

"Um… uh, well-I, um…" I stuttered, eyes too in shock for my mouth to respond.

"I just don't know when I'd get this opportunity again," she said innocently, sliding one strap down her perfectly-smooth shoulder… and then bursting out into loud laughter.

"I can't do it! Can't keep a straight face!" She gasped, amid girlish giggles. "Oh, the look on your face! You poor boy. You really thought I was serious." She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and chuckled some more.

"Well, in my defense… you _did_ just finish saying how it didn't mean anything to you," I said, sure that my face was beet-red.

"I know, I know," she replied, finally calming down, "but it does for you. I do realize that." She turned serious for a moment. "Grissom, you are… my very best friend in this place. In _any_ place. I… wouldn't want to do anything to… to-"

"Jeopardize that?"

"Yes, exactly. Thank you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you like that."

"No, teasing is part of being friends."

"Is it, then? Well, alright. So, all is good?"

"All is good," I assured her with a nod and a smile.

"… I still really want to swim, though. I can feel it in my bones."

"I can leave for a bit…"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to go. I don't have a swimsuit… but I do have my skivvies - if… that wouldn't be too uncomfortable for you."

"Not at all," I said with a shrug. "Mind if I join you?"

"I wouldn't want to otherwise."

We folded our Apex-issue outfits on the shore and jumped in the chilly water in our underwear. Despite the late-morning heat on land, the water temperature was somewhere between 'brisk' and 'teeth-chattering-cold.'

Even the swimming was a cultural learning exercise. She was a natural under the water, moving through the liquid with this whole-body, fish-like contortion thing that was impossibly efficient. In turn, I taught her the art of the cannonball, diving from the 20-foot rock outcropping above the pond. Seeing her swim was a thing of beauty - the natural grace of movement she usually had was only amplified being in the water. It was like watching a contemporary dance routine, swishing and swaying, bending and extending… and the beauty was about more than the motion. Her standard-issue dark grey tank top and mini-shorts-thing checked all the necessary modesty boxes, but they stuck to her body like a second layer of skin, and for the first time, I really appreciated her figure. From her collarbone, to shoulder blades, to her gently-sloping hips, she was undoubtedly feminine - not especially curvy, but balanced in proportion with her height and slender frame. 'Just friends,' or not, she was nice to look at.

Along with a handful of other cultural insights, I learned that Paladra - like most asari, apparently - was even more of a cold-water wimp than I was, and after a half-hour of shivering, we were both ready to dry out in the sun. We moved to the sunny, less-green side of the pond and sat with our feet in the water, allowing the cloudless sky to warm us back up.

"That pillar over there," she said, pointing to the remnant structure in the distance, "is that still active?"  
"Oh no, I checked it out with Cho and the guys. It's long-extinct."

"That's what I thought," she replied. "It reminds me of the ancient ruins on Thessia. My mother and I used to spend our winter school breaks with some relatives in Maanria - a small town on a large island, far out to sea. There were remains of ancient stone monuments there - many thousands of years old. My cousins and I used to go and explore them, imagining what life would have been like for the ancients who lived there when it was new and beautiful."

"Sounds like my kind of fun," I replied. "I love exploring things - old and new."

"It makes me wonder…. If the Initiative is successful, and thousands of years from now, people still live on Eos, I wonder… will they walk through the ruins of Prodromos, and imagine what life was like for us?"

"Huh… yeah, I never thought of that, but it's kinda cool."

"Just think - we're the ancients, pioneering a new world. The way we do things might be the origin for thousands of years of culture. It's very romantic."

"It is. Guess we should be careful what precedents we set."

We were quiet for a while, just enjoying the sun and the breeze, and the water on our toes. It was nice. Easy. Comfortable… and because of that, I found myself in a conflicted state of mind. There was no denying the attraction I felt for Josie - that had never really changed - but things between us were so hot and cold, so unpredictable. Things with Paladra, though… they were like this day - easy. Comfortable. It was the kind of thing I found myself wanting more and more of.

"So, tell me this, Paddy," I said after a while, turning to look at her. "Those snobby friends you grew up with on Ilium - are they the ones that convinced you you're no good at anything?"

"What are you talking about?" She answered, eyebrows scrunched together.

"You sing like a songbird, you move like a freakin' ballerina…" she smiled self-consciously, and shook her head slowly. I continued. "And any time I compliment how you look, you give me the whole, 'it's nice that you think so, but you're wrong' response."

"Grissom…" she said, looking down at the pond.

"C'mon, you know I'm right. You can't let them wreck how you see yourself-"

"I really do appreciate your kindness. _Truly_. But… I don't see myself that way."

"Why not? I don't understand."

She exhaled in mild frustration, searching for the right words. "You really want a list? I'm too tall, my figure's all wrong, skin's too light, eyes are too dark… and to top it all off, my crest is nowhere _close_ to even."

"Okay, so it's not perfectly symmetrical. There's not much in nature that is. It's character, and you-"

"It's a big deal," she interrupted. "Maybe not to you, but to an asari… it matters a lot. I don't think I'm… I don't know, _ugly_ , it's just… something I've always been self-conscious about."

I reached over, placing my hand on her forehead and slowly tracing the sweeping lines of her scalp ridges with my fingers. "I think they're beautiful. I think _you're_ beautiful."

For a moment, her sparkling gold eyes locked with mine, but she looked away, leaning her head back from my touch.

"Sorry," I said, afraid I'd crossed some cultural boundary by touching her. I withdrew my hand slowly. "I didn't…"

"It's alright," she replied. "It's just… touching the crest isn't the sort of thing that, um… that _friends_ would normally do."

" _Ohhhhh_ my gosh! Paddy, I didn't mean to-"

"Not… in a sexual way," she interrupted, with an uncomfortable chuckle. "But, it is a very… intimate thing."

"My mistake," I said, kicking myself for being so careless.

She looked me in the eyes again, silent for a moment. "It wasn't a mistake." She took my hand, and placed it back on her scalp, closing her eyes, and leaning into the touch this time. I traced her tendrils with my fingers again, sliding effortlessly across her smooth skin. She exhaled slowly, soaking in the caress. It was an emotionally charged moment. Suddenly, I wasn't sure I wanted to be _just friends_ anymore. I wasn't really sure about anything.

"You _are_ my friend," she said softly, before opening her eyes again, "but you mean more to me than that. I hope you know that. There's no one in this… galaxy that I trust like I trust you. I depend on you, Grissom. I just… don't want this friendship between us to change. I _need_ this. I'm alone without you."

"I'm here," I reassured her, brushing my fingers across her head once more before returning my arm to my side. She nudged closer, until our shoulders were touching, and we sat and talked into the afternoon.

We returned to Prodromos before dinner, and went our separate ways, closer than ever - and more relationally confused. I had no idea what brand of 'friends' we were, but I didn't want it to change, either. In a hard-fought existence on a still-alien planet, our friendship was a breath of fresh air.

Two days later, I was on a late night patrol run with Hester, when a call came through: priority one urgent - return to base asap. The rest of the team was already assembled at our modest headquarters when we arrived, along with a few Eos militia members - including Josie.

"What's this about?" I asked her in a whisper, as Keelan continued his briefing to the room.

"Hostage situation. Roekar { _Roekar - a group of angaran dissidents who violently oppose the presence of all aliens in the galaxy, including the Initiative_ } captured two shuttles' worth of Salarian scientists. They said they're gonna start executing them by the hour if the Initiative doesn't leave Havarl."

"Well, that ain't happenin'. What's the plan?"

"We're gonna rescue them."

" _We_?"

"I'm on your team this time," she said with a proud smile. "Benefit of being an 'infiltration specialist.'"

"Well, then… welcome to the cool club," I said with a smirk. "'Bout damn time."

"Amen."

Keelan looked my way, and I shut up, listening to the last bit of his explanation of the stakes. The salarians were a vital part of our agricultural team - we needed them back alive. At the same time, pulling out of Havarl wasn't going to happen. Apex was the only solution.

"We only have one shuttle ready," Keelan concluded, "so we'll go with a small team. Apex Bravo left Elaaden a half hour ago. They'll rendezvous with us as soon as they can arrive. Listen closely, here's who I need. Walsh. Cho. Medrilo. Landingham. Therios. Wade. If I called your name, I need your butt on that shuttle in ten minutes. If not, I need you on deck. We've got a second shuttle inbound in about two and a half hours. If things go south on Havarl, I'll need you on it. Hester, you're in charge. Stay by Mayor Bradley's QEC. We'll contact you from the research station on Havarl and apprise you of the situation once it becomes clear. Dismissed, everyone."

I rushed to the armory to collect my weapons and suit up, and in a whirlwind-short timespan, we were airborne _._ The flight to Havarl was relatively short, but still long enough to catch some sleep. I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, and I wanted to be fresh for the mission. Plus, having both Josie and Paladra in the same confined space seemed like a no-win situation conversationally. Much easier to go the neutral route and sleep.

Once we were a half hour out, Keelan woke me up, and we went over mission specifics. The Roekar were holed up in an old remnant facility they had apparently cleared out. No one knew their strength in numbers, but we suspected at least 30 hostiles. Because of her unique training and background, Josie was running point on the operation. Keelan would coordinate from the angaran headquarters ten miles away - the local angaran resistance army was willing to offer assistance, but they were understandably reluctant to open fire on other angara - even if they were terrorists.

The shuttle dropped us a quarter mile from the compound, where initiative-friendly angarans escorted us through the dense, humid jungle, and around to a secondary entrance. It was here that I finally understood Brooke's role on our team. She had become something of an expert dealing with remnant technology on Eos, and after about five minutes of tinkering, she got the small, triangular door on the side of the structure to open. Cho and I popped through the door and quietly dispatched two very surprised guards, cutting their throats before they had a chance to get a single shot off. Once we cleared the opening chamber, Josie pulled us together.

"Surface scans show a cluster of body heat about six hundred yards from our location," she began quietly. "That's gotta be where they're holding the hostages. We need to get there quickly, but silently. As soon as they sound the alarm, we're screwed. Medrilo, how confident are you with your tactical cloak?"

"It's fully functional and at your disposal," he replied. "I've got twelve, maybe fourteen seconds of cover at a time before it needs to recharge."

"That'll be more than enough. Stay right on my six. I'll spot the targets, you cloak and slit throats."

"Affirmative," he answered.

"Brooke - I'm counting on you here. Do you have an idea of how these rooms connect?"

"If they're consistent with their layouts, then it should be easy enough," she replied.

"Good. Only one door outta this room, so the first step's simple enough. The rest of you, watch our backs, and keep the heavy weapons at the ready in case we lose the element of surprise. Let's move out."

I was floored - and proud - of the comfort she showed leading. Gone was the insecure, inexperienced Josie Walsh, replaced by a seasoned Andromeda veteran. It was great to see.

We moved systematically through several small chambers - most less than 40 feet long, and no more than 10 feet high. Josie's system worked to perfection. She'd sneak up, spot the guards, and Ozz would cloak and knife them silently. Cho and I carried the bodies out of the way, and we continued on to the next jungle-infested room. I had been inside remnant structures before, but never one so overgrown with foliage. It seemed like every room we entered had some kind of fungus or sunlight-defying greenery creeping up the black, tech-infused walls.

After ten minutes of sneaking and slashing, we arrived at the location on our map - a huge, sprawling cavern with multiple stone platforms connected by seemingly-floating bridges, made of a myriad of metallic octagons. The high ceiling was patterned in a series of arches, each peaking at a height of at least 200 feet above the platforms. There was water in the depths below, but at a fall of 70 feet or more, it wouldn't be a nice landing. The same pattern of arches and liquid-filled chasms repeated into the hazy distance, as far as I could see in the bluish-white glow that seemed to emanate from the structures themselves. It was jaw-dropping.

A quick scan of the chasm told us all we needed to know - the hostages were indeed there, huddled on one of the stone platforms about 400 feet from the doorway we were hiding behind. There were at least 3 armed guards, but with the distance, there was no way to know whether more were hiding nearby.

"Alright, listen up," Josie whispered, as we prepared to enter. "I can take the guard on the far side of the room easily. Grissom - how confident are you in your aim? Can't afford to miss and hit one of our hostages."

"What is it - a hundred fifty yards?"

"Less."

"If I have a chance to line it up? Headshot. No problem."

"Okay, that leaves one. Medrilo?"

"My gun's not accurate enough at that range," he answered.

Josie took another peak around the corner. "Okay, then create a distraction. I'll line up the third and take him down. Cho, get a barrier on Medrilo once he starts drawing fire. Brooke - you and Therios move in once the hostiles are down. Make sure there are no serious injuries. We'll return the way we came. Underst-"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the distance to our right. Either the angaran locals changed their mind about blowing up their neighbors, or Apex Bravo had arrived. Either way, it was bad timing.

"Damnit!" Josie whispered, peering around the corner again. "The guards are moving. Get in there and take the shot now! On my mark…"

She and I moved out, and I lined up my shot.

"One, two… three!" We pulled our triggers in unison, and two guards dropped. Ozz ran out into the room, firing a few shots. The final guard didn't return fire like we expected, taking cover behind a hostage and shouting at us instead.

"Come out with hands up, or I start executing!" He was soon joined by a previously-unseen fourth guard, who did the same thing.

"Josie?" I asked.

"Thinking…" She answered.

"Protocol says we talk them down," Brooke interjected. "I'll do it."

"Brooke, I don't trust them," Josie said.

"Josie's right," I added. "I've seen this scenario before. Batarian terrorists had a group of colonists out in the traverse. They didn't want to leave the room alive - just wanted to kill as many people as they could. They're not gonna cooperate."

"So what - we shoot them up before they betray us?"

"Yep," I replied, looking at Josie.

"Then we're no better than they are," Brooke said. "I'm gonna try."

"No. You do, and they're likely to put a round in you," Josie said.

"Then stay hidden, and shoot them if diplomacy fails," Brooke answered, stepping forward.

"Damnit, Brooke! Get back here!" Josie protested, as Landingham walked out into the open, hands up. "Wait! That's an order. Landingham!"

"That's close enough!" The Roekar guard shouted, as she reached the edge of the first bridge. "Where are the other invaders?"

"My friends are many in number," Landingham shouted. "Even now, you are being pressed in on from multiple sides. Everyone can walk out of here alive. Surrender now, and we will show you mercy."

"Mercy?!" The guard shouted back. "We will bathe in the blood of your lizard friends unless you lay down your arms now. That is the only _mercy_ that matters."

"This is going nowhere," Josie whispered. "Do you have a clear shot for the one on the left?"

I snuck a peek. "It's risky. Not clean."

"Great. Well, get ready. Coming home with twenty-nine scientists is better than losing all thirty-two if this thing goes sideways."

Just when I had a shot lined up, I heard the sound of a rifle - but it wasn't ours. I turned to the bridge to see Landingham's lifeless body slump to the ground, a stream of red flowing from what remained of her helmet.

"Oh God…" I gasped, lining up my shot again.

"Sniper!" Josie shouted. "Cho, Medrilo - get up there and flush him out. Grissom, take the shot."

I fired two shots into the commotion, missing completely the first time, but hitting the guard (albeit, through the shoulder of a hostage) with the second. Josie hit her target, and we all moved forward, scanning the room for evidence of the enemy sniper. With the guards downed, the hostages panicked, rushing in our direction. Another rifle blast reverberated through the cavern, sending a bloodied salarian off the hexagonal bridge and into the water below. The sniper gave up his position with the shot, though, and Josie spotted him. A few nerve-racking seconds later, she got him. I rushed ahead to try and help herd the stampeding scientists, but pulled a 180 when I heard the sound of gunfire from behind me. The Roekar finally flanked us, and were coming through our exit door in force.

"Paladra! Behind us," I shouted, as I rushed in their direction, hip-firing to push them toward cover. I was in exposed space, but there was a pillar 40 feet in front of me - I just had to make it there in one piece. Shots came in bunches, and I felt the recoil as my suit's deflector shields warded two of them off. Two out of about seventy. The Roekar recruited from the civilian population more than military, and it showed.

I reached the safety of the pillar, and after dropping a smoke grenade for cover, rolled out in prone position and began picking off targets. Paladra moved in from the other side of the room, and took two more out. After my shield had a moment to recharge, I signaled for cover fire from Paladra, and ran ahead, cutting two more down on the way. I switched to melee fighting once I got in close enough, massacring another three in short order with my omni-blade. The victory was short-lived, though - I could hear more reinforcements running through the chambers. I peered through the door and fired enough to slow them down, but it was more than I could hold off on my own.

"Guys, we need another exit!" I shouted, as I chucked a frag grenade in the hallway and retreated.

Josie rounded up the crowd, and had Ozz lead them in the direction of the explosion we heard about a minute earlier. Whoever was responsible, there were probably friendly forces that way. I reloaded my rifle, and took cover with Paladra, Cho and Josie to cover our escape. The narrow doorway was a great chokepoint, allowing us to pick off several enemies before they took two steps into the room. Eventually, they wised up, waiting for us to fall back and catch up to the crowd. I holstered my rifle as I got to Brooke's body, putting her over my shoulder and lugging her with me toward the far right of the cavern. She was undoubtedly dead, but I couldn't stand to just leave her body behind. No telling what those Roekar lunatics would do to it.

We got to within a few hundred feet of the door on the far end of the cavern, when it blew off its frame from the other side. A handful of krogan came running in through the smoke. It was Apex Team Bravo.

"Do you have a clear exit?" Josie shouted to them, as Cho and Paladra continued holding off the pursuers behind us.

"Yeah, if you haul ass," one of the krogan answered. "Don't know how long we can hold 'em back."

"C'mon, double-time, people!" Josie shouted, sprinting to the front of the crowd. One of the Bravo guys moved forward, and set some explosive charges on the final bridge in our escape path. Once we were across, he blew the charges, dropping the bridge into the chasm below, and covering our exit. I pressed in with the crowd, entering the broken doorway into a chamber like the ones we came in through, but there was some kind of commotion with the hostages. A handful of salarians were on the ground, gasping for air, while others shouted frantically. I watched in horror as more and more started dropping, vomiting and bleeding from the mouth, nose and eyes.

"Nerve gas! There's gas in here!" Paladra shouted, trying to usher those who could still walk out of the room. She was too late. Hostages were falling left and right, suffocating in front of me. I had never been more glad to fight in a pressurized suit. We all tried to help those who were still breathing to limp forward, but we kept losing people along the way. By the time we reached the exit, only 3 of the 31 surviving hostages were hanging on - and those were wheezing and gasping for air.

Both shuttles were waiting for us, protected, for the moment, by heavy weapons fire provided by the rest of Bravo Team.

"What in the hell happened?" Keelan asked when we came out of the complex.

"There was some kind of nerve agent," Josie answered, "a failsafe, maybe?"

"It's seems to only be affecting the salarians," Cho added, showing a large tear in the shoulder of his suit.

"Damnit. _Damnit_!" Keelan growled. We've gotta move'em. Now! This place isn't secure."

"Nerve gas? They sure as hell ain't coming in _my_ shuttle!" A krogan grunted. He seemed to be the Bravo leader.

"I've got a _salarian_ team member with me, Kreeg" Keelan countered.

"In a pressurized suit," Kreeg fired back.

"You freakin' kidding me right now?"

"Nope."

Ozz interrupted their argument. "Send me with the Bravo shuttle. I'll be safe, their shuttle will stay uncontaminated, and you can try and get these others some medical attention."

"Ugh! Fine, get in," Kreeg relented, "but we're headed straight back to Elaaden."

"We'll send a shuttle for him later," Keelan said. "C'mon, let's get the hell outta here."

We loaded the three surviving hostages, along with Landingham's body, onto the Echo shuttle, and headed toward the closest thing resembling a medical center on Havarl. In the twelve minutes it took to get there, all three died.

After trying without success to resuscitate the hostages, we sealed them in bodybags, loaded them back onto the shuttle, and departed for Eos a few hours later. Keelan trusted our Initiative scientists there to do a more thorough autopsy than the angaran-led science team on Havarl, and I agreed. We had to figure out the chemical structure of whatever toxin they died from - and we had to do it quickly. If the Roekar had a viable biological weapon, we needed to protect against it and get some kind of antidote made.

The return shuttle flight was a rough one. Everyone was angry, confused, sad, and disappointed. After the official debriefing, Keelan returned to the cockpit, and everyone else found a place to be alone - which was no easy task in a shuttle bay crowded with cadavers. Josie positioned herself next to Landingham's body, head in her hands. Everything about her body language said 'stay away,' but that had never stopped me before. I found enough bench space next to her for half a butt cheek, and planted myself there, placing a hand lightly on her back.

"Go away," she sighed, face still covered by the blue-streaked brown hair that had lost its curl, and now fell in mostly straight lines.

"It sucks, Jo. I get it." She didn't respond. I continued. "Look, Keelan already gave you the 'suck it up and move on' speech, and he's right. When you're in command, you've gotta come to grips with lives hanging on your decisions. But you need to know… it's alright to feel it. You wouldn't be human if you didn't. Brooke was a pain in the ass, but she was one of us.

"I told her," the shaky voice replied, still hiding behind hands and hair. "I _ordered her_ not to do it…"

"I know. It's not your fault. It's not even hers. They executed someone coming under a flag of truce. I've seen it before. Terrorists are a different bunch. Can't blame yourself for their… total lack of a moral compass. … or for the hostages. No one could have seen that coming… or done anything better."

"Yeah, but they counted on me," she said passionately, looking at me with anguish in her eyes. "Keelan, Kandros… even you…"

"Hey!" I interrupted, brushing a tear off her cheek. "You didn't let me down, Josie Walsh. You impressed the hell outta me. You belong on this team, and I'd march into combat with you any day."

I put my arm around her, as she quietly cried, looking up just in time to catch Paladra's gaze from across the shuttle. She looked away immediately, almost as if she'd been caught. I wondered if it bothered her to see me comfort Josie like I did, if she was expecting me to talk it over with her first… or if I just thought too much of myself. It felt wrong to be petty at a time when people were literally lying dead beside me, but I couldn't help it. It was on my mind. I sat with Josie for a while, mulling things over in my brain.

The more I thought about the nerve gas thing, the more it bothered me. Something just didn't add up. The Roekar weren't soldiers or scientists - most of them were teenagers hyped up on hate speech. The idea that they kidnapped a group of salarians, and in the span of 5 or 6 hours, had not only the foresight, but the know-how and materials to set up a nerve agent targeted just to salarian biology - it was too much of a logical stretch. There had to be something else going on.

After a half hour, I felt comfortable enough letting Josie grieve on her own, and crossed the shuttle to run my ideas by Paladra.

"Okay, you're a doctor - help me out with this," I said, "'cause I've been thinking about this nerve gas thing, and I feel like we're missing something."

"So do I," she replied, with an expression of relief. "Whatever caused this, it's very um…" she pointed at her ear. I gave her a thumbs-up to signal that my translator was on. "It's very sophisticated. I've seen fast-acting nerve agents before, in the traverse, but this…"

"Yeah - see, it reminds me of this deal Keelan and I handled outside Asteria { _Asteria - a joint human and asari colony world in the dangerous and disputed Attican Traverse_. }. Batarians hijacked a shuttle, gassed everyone the moment we boarded. Hostages were dead in minutes. Same kinda look."

"Right. There's a… a president? I think that's the word."

"Precedent," I corrected.

"That's what I said, wasn't it? Ugh! I like your language, but sometimes, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm… going to switch back to Attena."

"Alright. Adios, adorable accent."

She smiled long enough to acknowledge my statement, but went right back to business. "There's a precedent for an effect like this, but it's not the sort of thing you would expect from simple terrorists."

"Yes! That's my point exactly. This thing with the Batarians, it turned out they didn't _create_ the gas. They stole it from a decommissioned lab on Noveria { _Noveria - a lawless planet in the Milky Way, known for harboring controversial research and development companies_ }. Never found out if it was Cerberus, or Terra Firma { _Terra Firma - a human organization on the border of political activism and terrorism, committed to keeping humanity isolated from the rest of galactic life_ }, or just an independent group trying to cook up a vaccine, but the science was way past what the Batarians could produce."

I called Keelan over to run the idea by him. "Do you remember that mission with the shuttle outside Asteria where the Batarians gassed everybody?"

"Yeah, the stolen nerve gas?" He answered. "You thinking something's fishy with this? 'Cause I am."

Paladra answered. "We're thinking there's no way these Roekar could have engineered such a complicated weapon on their own - at least, not in the time they had to prepare."

"So, what's your angle?" He asked. "If not the Roekar, then who?"

"We don't know yet," I answered. "Wouldn't be from the Kett. I mean, the Roekar hate _everyone_ , so I doubt they got this from anyone who's not angaran. It could be that the angarans are testing biological weapons in case diplomacy fails between us... and they wanted to use the Roekar as the bad guys so they could run a test without pissing us off…"  
"Yes," Paladra responded, "but if that was their plan, why wait to administer the gas? Why not just gas them on the shuttle, so they could observe the effects more closely?"

There was silence for a moment, before Keelan offered another idea. "What if it wasn't the Roekar at all?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Josie said the symptoms started once the hostages got out of the big room, right?"

"Right," Paladra confirmed.

"Which is right after they had contact with Bravo Team."  
"Bravo? But… why?" I asked, unable to comprehend what might possess the good guys to murder the hostages they were sent in to rescue.

"Kreeg is a class one asshole," Keelan said, "but I trust him. Besides, poisoning is really not his style. If he wanted the salarians dead, he'd blow 'em up, and he'd want you to know it was him. …You gotta remember, though, Bravo's stationed on Elaaden. And putting them there was more than just getting them closer to deploy to that system. They're also there to keep an eye on the krogan exiles. It's no secret that some factions in that camp want to do harm to the Initiative."

"So, you think they were transmission vectors for the poison?" Paladra asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Keelan replied. "Would that be possible?"  
"It could… maybe a powder on their suits, or even on their explosive charges - that would spread the powder more effectively."

"It's complicated, though…" I said, "say some of the krogan did powder Bravo's suits with a nerve agent - how would they know they'd be deployed to rescue these salarians? It's a a huge gamble"

"Unless they set up the kidnapping," Keelan interrupted. "Elaaden is close to Havarl. Maybe they leaked the info on the where and when of the shuttle to the Roekar…"

"Whatever the motive, Bravo as the transmission vector makes sense, but-"

"Boys!" Paladra interrupted. "Ozz!"

"What?"  
"If the toxin came with Bravo Team… _Ozz is on that shuttle with them_!"

A sudden chill ran through my bones. If we were right about Bravo Team, Ozz would be dead the moment he took his helmet off - and he had no idea.

"We've gotta warn him!" I said urgently.

"We're in FTL, bro - and so are they," Keelan said, sinking his head to his hand. "We can hail their HQ with the QEC when we get back to Eos… but we're probably too late as it is."

I looked at the body bags piled in the back of the shuttle. We'd already lost one team member on this mission - I couldn't stand to lose another, especially like this.

 _Hang on, buddy_ , I thought, saying a quick prayer for him. _Keep that helmet on_ …


	12. Investigation

**_—_** _Ozz Medrilo —_

"Breathe! Breathe, Ozz! Calm down, and breathe. In and out. In and out…" I muttered the words to myself, trying desperately to preserve what oxygen I had left. I couldn't afford to lose my composure. Not when I only had… _six hours? Six hours of oxygen?! Clau's chaos! I'm dead. I'm_ dead _._

"How long until we reach Elaaden?" I asked our brutish pilot.

"About an hour and a half," he replied lazily. "What's the rush?"

"What's the rush? WHAT'S THE R— ha ha, this is funny. I'm losing my mind. I'm going to suffocate to death if I don't get to clean air in the next six hours. _THAT_ is the rush!"

I paced back and forth down the narrow sliver of open floor space in the shuttle's cabin, checking my omni tool again in the vain hope that somehow the air quality in this flying coffin had improved. _Two hundred twelve parts-per-million. Well, at least I'd be dead in moments. No extended suffering._

Krogan shuttles don't pressurize or enrich oxygen levels to livable standards for a salarian such as myself, so I naturally kept my hardsuit on and pressurized for the uncomfortable trip from our nightmarish mission on Havarl to Elaaden. A few hours into the flight, I had the thought to configure my omni-tool to check for foreign airborne contaminants - just to be sure no residue had followed us back into the shuttle. Once I saw the readout, I slipped into a panic - one I was still unable to deescalate. My shuttle mates looked at me with confusion, disdain and indifference, chalking my frenetic behavior up to salarian eccentricity. It was different for them. 212ppm of nerve gas in the air failed to even register in their nostrils. Anything above 20ppm, and I would be gagging and foaming at the mouth.

Once I calmed myself enough to speak at the painstakingly lethargic pace necessary to communicate effectively with krogans, I walked up to the cockpit to ask Nakmor Kreeg for assistance.

"I have an urgent request," I began, trying to keep my vocal tone level. "I need to use your decontamination chamber as soon as we land at Apex Headquarters. It is literally a matter of life and death."

He looked at me with an odd expression for an infuriatingly prolonged moment, then answered. "We don't… have… a decontamination chamber."

His words weren't making sense to me.

"You don't ha— … alright… I mean the sealed room, where you—"

"I _know_ what a decontamination chamber is, fish-brain. _I don't. Have. One_."

"Wha… what—what-what-what do you mean you don't have one? How can you not have one?"

He looked as though I'd asked him why he didn't have gills. "Uh - we're krogan."

"And?"  
"And we don't need pansy-ass decontamination chambers. Have you seen the sludge these guys drink when they're off-duty? Waste of time, space and resources."

I could feel the cold sweat pooling up in my suit.

"I don't… I, um… I…" I stammered, head swimming with disaster scenarios.

"What is your problem?" He asked, more impatient than concerned.

"There's nerve agent residue in this shuttle. On my suit. If I don't go through a thorough - and I mean, _thorough_ \- contamination protocol before I depressurize, I'lll end up like the scientists on Havarl."

"Oh. Well, that _is_ bad."

"Yes! Yes, that is very, very bad. Very bad for me. Can you see why I'm… _trying_ to calm down, but on the VERGE OF HYSTERICS?!"

"Relax," he practically commanded. "I'm sure someone at the dock can help you. If there's one on the planet, I figure it would be there."

" _If_?! Oh, chaos! Oh, filet me now! What if there's not one on the planet? There's… there's no time to reach anywhere else…"

"Look, we'll drop you off, alright? Take you straight to the dock when we get in."

"Drop me off? What, and then just - just _leave_ me there? Can't you-"

"Hey - we're already doing you a favor bringing you along for the ride. I've got a half hour to gear up and get back out for a mission in the Faross system. I'm gonna be late as it is."

"Okay, okay… I'm not going to panic. I'm not… just please get me there as soon as possible. I've got less than six hours of air left in my suit."

"I'll do my best," he replied, finally showing some concern. "Why don't you go and… I dunno, sleep or something? Does that use less oxygen for your kind?"

"Haha, you're so… funny. Sleep."

I went back to the crew cabin and spent the longest 90 minutes of my life waiting to arrive on Elaaden - a place I'd only visited once, and even then, on the other side of the planet. Bravo team dropped me off at the shuttle landing pad with a slap on the back and a "good luck," and I was on my own. I looked at my oxygen gauge: four hours, seventeen minutes. Time was critical.

A lone salarian walking around a krogan colony was bound to get some strange looks and cold shoulders, and I got both. Even 600 years and millions of light years away, most of them still blamed salarians for the genophage { _Genophage - a biologically-engineered weapon used by salarians and turians to end a war with the krogans, rendering the vast majority of krogan pregnancies unviable._ } - and were correspondingly disobliging to my requests for help. Eventually, one of the merchants took pity on me, and ushered me to see the krogan dock manager, Nakmor Torll.

"What do you want?" She barked, in a voice that was only slightly higher-pitched than a male's.

"I am in desperate need of a decontamination chamber," I answered. "There's a powder of some kind on my suit that poses no risk to krogan physiology, but is quite lethal to mine. No one around here seems to know where I can find one."

"That's because we don't have one here," she replied curtly. "What do you think this is, Earth?"

"B-but… surely, _surely_ you have something somewhere," I pleaded desperately.

She thought for a moment. "We do have one place that would probably do the trick… but it's outside the seed vault in New Tuchanka."

"I'll take it!" I replied, immensely relieved.

"Not without authorization, you won't. That area is restricted, even for krogan."

"Please… my life is at stake…"

"Alright, alright… I'll make a call," she huffed. "Wait here."

I looked at my omni-tool. Three hours, fifty-four minutes. _Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, HURRY!_

A few agonizing moments later, she returned with good news - I had been cleared for decontamination. The problem is, I had to get there on my own. New Tuchanka - the main establishment for the krogan colony on Elaaden - was situated on the edges of a sinkhole, about 5 miles from the dock. In order to get there, I had to travel on foot, through 200-degree heat. Even with my hardsuit's environmental controls, it was verging on unbearable.

I checked the air quality on the way - 61ppm. The level, while much lower than on the shuttle, was still more than enough to render me dead in moments. I had to keep moving. It took me over two hours to stumble through the oppressive heat, and another fifteen minutes to talk my way through the main gate into New Tuchanka. A reluctant host ushered me through a maze of corridors and staircases, eventually bringing me to a 'secure area' about three floors down. Their concept of _security_ was a rusted metal fence and a pair of armed guards, but they were very serious about intruders, and I was under constant observation.

Once I reached the seed vault, I stepped into the chamber, and went through the nerve-racking process of multi-stage decontamination - first, with my hardsuit on, and then, placing it in a sealed container, with nothing but my neoprene suit liner on. I left my hardsuit sealed up, content to have Bravo team make arrangements to collect it later, and emerged from the chamber underdressed, but safe. At least, for the moment.

I took a few suspenseful breaths of the native air - it was thin and hot, with a stale, body-odor unpleasantness to it, but it was breathable. Even after the thoroughness of the decontamination protocol, I was still paranoid about the presence of trace amounts of the nerve agent, so despite the grunts and protestations of my begrudgingly cooperative krogan hosts, I ran another air quality scan with my omni-tool. The resulting readout listed more potentially-harmful elements than you'd find in a hospital emergency room, but nothing was in a strong enough concentration to be immediately injurious to my health.

With my fears adequately assuaged, I followed my hosts back upstairs to a mezzanine area which functioned as something of a marketplace within the semi-subterranean city. It was still several hours until dark, when the temperature would cool enough to allow me to safely travel on foot to the Apex HQ - a small compound of modular units which stood about a half a mile east of New Tuchanka. I found an unoccupied corner near a meat vendor, and sat in it, taking the time to journal my experiences and observations of the nerve agent.

I was a botanist by trade, but with a near-photographic memory, I had a more than sufficient supply of chemistry experience in the repository of my memory to draw from. In time, I came to what I believed was a satisfactory understanding of the mysterious poison that nearly killed me. It was a complicated, nuanced chemical structure - one that would have taken multiple iterations to refine. The quixotic adolescents calling themselves the Roekar would have as much a chance of producing it on their own as a snail had of producing an oak tree. Someone was assisting them. The question was, who? Naturally, my mind went to the krogan - they still harbored a grudge for the genophage, and were openly hostile toward initiative director Jarun Tann - a salarian. But then, I was still highly suspicious of William Spender and his associates on the Nexus - the ones who had ostensibly stolen my evidence and crammed me back into a cryo pod. I knew better than to trust his type again. Whoever was responsible, I would collect evidence, build my case to the point of invulnerability, and then I'd sink their ship.

A few hours later, I was nearly finished entering air quality readings into my journal, when I ran across a disturbingly familiar reading. Among the myriad of potentially hazardous contaminants in the air outside the seed vault was a protein structure that didn't belong there. It didn't belong in this galaxy. Shocked, I double and triple-checked my findings, confirming the structure. It was identical to the biologically-engineered transmission vector STG used to discreetly administer updates and course-corrections to the genophage on Tuchanka. My pulse began to race, as I pondered the implications of my findings. Very few salarians were privy to the chemical compounds we used to engineer krogan-specific viruses to carry genetic modifications. To that point, very few salarians even _knew_ we were actively supplementing the original genophage to ensure its continued efficacy. I only knew the information because my STG unit was one of the few who were sent to the krogan homeworld to administer the viruses. The greatest salarian minds of my time spent months engineering the structures necessary for the virus - there was no way someone could have stumbled across the same solution by chance. Either the krogan on Elaaden had masterfully reverse-engineered the viral blueprint… or someone in the initiative was working to continue the effects of the genophage in Andromeda. Both conclusions were vexing enough to necessitate action, and potentially conspiratorial enough to necessitate stealth. I had to get back down to the seed vault and collect samples - if possible. I needed hard proof.

Feigning a need to find a suitable place to urinate, I gained access to a downward-leading staircase, and slipped quickly into the abundant shadows that perpetuated New Tuchanka. I fumbled through the dark, crawling and climbing my way through structural supports, until I came to the cliff-like edge of the sinkhole which the city was built around. The porous structure of the cliff face was brittle and occasionally crumbly, but it provided enough friction and grip to be scaled. I climbed down cautiously, slipping back into the city through a daylight opening above the rusted metal 'security' fence. The guards at the entrance were oblivious to my presence, too busy conversing about mating strategies to notice me creep by thirty yards behind them.

Arriving again at the seed vault, I reopened my omni-tool and scanned for air contaminants. The viral structure was still present. I moved toward the door, expecting the air concentration to increase - but the opposite happened. The source wasn't in the seed vault. I proceeded to play a tense and stealthy game of 'hot and cold,' following the progressively stronger concentration of viral particles down a dim hallway and past a few metal doors, until it spiked just outside the entrance to the city's cold food storage, situated at the end of the hall. I tried the door. It was locked, of course, but with a level of encryption suitable for a krogan intellect. I put my STG infiltration training to practice, and after a few minutes of trial and error, I managed to bypass the latch's encryption. The bolt popped loudly as it disengaged, followed by a high-pitched squeal, as the metal hinges grated against each other to swing the door open. I hid for a moment, but heard no one approaching, so I entered the frigid room and began looking for the source.

I was expecting to find frozen vials of liquid, or maybe a crate of aerosols or syringes. Instead, my scan led me to a box of slorke - an insect-based protein paste krogan used as a food additive. The density reading was off the charts - this was certainly the source. I took a pouch from the crate, tucking it into the chest of my suit liner, and was about to make my exit when I heard thundering footsteps coming down the hallway.

Options ran through my mind as I crept toward the door. I could hide, but if I were locked inside the vault in an uninsulated suit, I'd likely go into hypothermic shock before I could break my way out. I could try and talk my way out - but what krogan would trust a salarian caught wet-fisted in a secured food storage room… with a biologically-engineered weapon on his person? That scenario led to death, too - a scary, violent, painful one. With no weapon at my disposal, fighting a pair of 500-pound guards provided yet another avenue for a brutal demise. The only viable option was to run. I took a deep breath and gave myself a mental pep-talk… and then bolted out of the door at full speed.

The only way out led past the krogan guards and back toward the seed vault. I ran right at the pair - different individuals than the ones I snuck by on my way in - and slid on the ground when I reached them, narrowly escaping their grasp. I popped back up to my feet on the other side, and sprinted with all my might, rounding the corner past the seed vault and approaching the opening I'd used earlier above the metal security wall. Fortunately for me, krogan are slow and lumbering, and by the time the guards reached the wall, I had snuck safely through.

I clung to the cliff face outside, trying to calm my breathing enough to stay quiet, and waited for the guards to rush by, unaware of my presence on the other side of the wall. The sunlight was nearly gone over the horizon - as low as it ever went on this side of the planet - which meant it was cool enough to travel to Apex Headquarters. The problem was, in about 10 minutes, every armed krogan in the colony would be hunting for a salarian in a black neoprene suit. I had to escape the sinkhole - quickly.

The rock surface was cool enough to the touch when I was three stories down, but the higher I climbed, the more painful it was on my bare hands. More than once, I lost my grip, momentarily dangling over the mouth of the seemingly-bottomless sinkhole by one hand. I willed myself through the pain and exhaustion, though, climbing relentlessly upward, while avoiding windows and vents. I could hear shouting from inside the city - word was spreading quickly about an invader. I pressed my muscles to move faster, slipping and scraping my way up the wall until my bloodied hands were nearly exhausted… but I made it. I surfaced onto the still-blistering sand a few hundred yards from the main entrance, got my bearings, and made a mad dash to the headquarters. I knew if I could reach the safety of Initiative property, I'd have asylum until help could arrive. I just had to get there.

My legs pumped like pistons, driving me through the deep sand, as a growing wind whipped the tiny red-hot particles against my face. Five minutes into my escape, and I was on the verge of a heat stroke. Even with the temperature relief that a break from direct sunlight afforded, it was still remarkably hot - about 125 degrees in the shade. Combined with the lower-than-ideal ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the air and the added exertion required to traverse in 10-inch-deep loose sand, it was torturous. I took 30 seconds to catch my breath, and pressed on until I reached my goal.

I banged on the grey metal door of Bravo's headquarters when I arrived, and tried every Apex omni-tool comm frequency, but there was no one home. I slumped to the ground, exhausted and disheartened. Asylum wouldn't do me any good if I couldn't get inside the building. I started running scenarios for how to break into a military-grade building with nothing but rubber pants and an omni-tool, aware that once my pursuers figured out who I was, they'd come looking for me there. The encryption on doors like these were infinitely more complex than the primitive lock on the krogan's food freezer - it would take weeks of hacking to break in.

I was ready to give up and just turn myself in, when the thought occurred to me that I hadn't actually _tried_ the door panel. I stood to my feet and put my hand on the illuminated panel, and 2 seconds later, my omni-tool flashed and the door opened. Apparently, it recognized me as a registered Apex member. I stood in the doorway for a moment, too stunned to move. _You've got to be kidding me! Maybe there's something to this whole, "god" thing…_

I stepped inside and the door closed behind me, as the building lights powered on. My body wanted to rest, but I knew I was still far from safe. I needed help from the outside - verification from the Initiative that I wouldn't be extradited. I also needed to know when a shuttle could arrive to rescue me from this hell hole. The first step was to establish contact with Echo team. My vision was beginning to blur, as moisture welled up in my eyes. The constant thrashing of sand in my face was finally catching up to me, and it was hard to read the small print on the QEC screen. I finally browsed through the awkwardly-laid-out user interface, and selected _Apex HQ, Eos_ from the options. I leaned against the wall once the machine came to life, dizzy for a moment. It was taking longer than I expected to recover from the traumatic journey out of New Tuchanka. My breath was still short, lungs burning as I waited impatiently for the communication device to connect me with the rest of my team.

A few short moments later, the likeness of Leighton Royce and Josie Walsh appeared above the projection platform. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Ozz?" Josie half-shouted. "Are you okay? Thank God! We were _so_ worried about you."  
"You have no idea what a relief it is to see you two," I said, with a slight cough. "I'm not okay at all - I'm in terrible danger. You have to listen carefully - someone here is using the virus from the genophage to engineer some kind of bioweapon. I… _may_ have broken into their food storage to secure evidence."

"You did what?" Royce asked, incredulous. I saw Grissom Wade enter the view from behind.

"The krogan saw me there, and I ran. I'm safe for the moment in Bravo HQ, I think, but I've been literally running for my life."

I broke into a coughing fit, as the discomfort in my lungs intensified to sharp burning. Salarians weren't meant for sandy climates.

Walsh's face showed a sudden change from relief to concern. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be in there?"

"Where?" I asked, through another set of coughs.

"HQ," she answered intensely. "Did they clear it out? We sent the message, but never heard back…"

"Oh God, he doesn't know-" Wade said, hand on his forehead.

"Know what?" I asked, sliding back into panic for the umpteenth time.

"We think the nerve agent _came from_ _Elaaden_ ," Walsh explained, "that someone tampered with Bravo's gear. Ozz - if they didn't purge the air in the building…"

A chill ran down my spine, as I rotated my wrist and checked the air quality. The nerve agent was in the room, alright. 12 parts-per-million. And I'd been breathing it in for 5 minutes. I started trembling - whether from fear or a physical reaction to the poison I didn't know - and looked back up to the distraught faces of my teammates.

"I've… I've been exposed," I said, finding it harder to breathe.

"Get out of there!" Walsh shouted. "NOW! Run!"

"It's too late for me," I said, in shock. "I'll transmit the data to you while I still have time. There's a sample in a pouch under my-"

"Screw that!" Wade interrupted. "Get the hell outta there!"

"Find someplace safe, and we'll come get you," Walsh added. "Go! NOW!"

Their urging shook me from my fatalistic stupor, and I obeyed, stumbling out of the room on sluggish, weary legs. I ran with all the gusto I could manage once I got back outside, all too aware that a coalition of angry krogan were likely still combing the area for me. I shut everything else out of my mind, and kept running - running from the toxin, running from the krogan, running until the world stopped making sense. Sand dunes began swimming around me, colored in bright hues that cycled like a dance club stage. The dim pair of moons in the sky pulsed like strobes, and I lost all sense of hearing. Moments later, the horizon swirled, and I found myself face down in the sand, gasping for breath and coughing up mucus. And then I couldn't feel anything at all, save the warm, gritty soil on my face.


	13. SOS

**_—_** _Grissom Wade —_

"Get the commander on the radio!" Josie shouted to Royce.

"Already on it," I interjected, waiting for Keelan to answer my hail.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she muttered under her breath, stroking her temples.

"Wade? What is it?" Keelan asked over the radio.

"Ozz is in trouble," Josie answered. "This is Walsh, sir. He just contacted us on the QEC. They didn't get the message about decontamination. He was standing right there in the comm room."

"Damnit!" Keelan said breathlessly. "Is he dead?"

"We don't know," I replied. "Bravo was out on assignment - he was there on his own. Last thing we heard, he was trying to escape to clean air."

"If it's anything like the ones on Havarl…"

"He was exposed to a much smaller dose," Josie said. "I think he'll make it if we can get help to him in time. Is there any way we can contact someone on the ground there?"

"We're not on diplomatic terms with Elaaden," Keelan explained. "It's one step above Kadara. The only QEC on the whole damned planet is in Apex HQ."

"There's another problem," I said. "Ozz found evidence of bioweapons while he was there - not just the nerve agent, but he said they had a modified version of the genophage-"

"Genophage? What the hell?"

"I don't have details," I continued, "but in order to get evidence, he snuck in someplace he didn't belong. They spotted him, and he ran. He's a fugitive."

"WHAT?!" Keelan shouted. "You have _got_ to be kidding me. Where the hell did he sneak into?"  
"Their food storage," Josie answered.

"Okay… so you're telling me an Initiative special forces agent - a _salarian_ \- got caught sneaking out of the krogan's food storage with the freaking GENOPHAGE?! Holy hell - Kandros is gonna have my head for this."

"They may not realize who he is," Josie said. "The didn't _catch_ him, they just saw him leaving. I doubt they know he has the evidence. Elaaden isn't that far - If we can get to him in time…"

Keelan sighed heavily. "This is gonna be a diplomatic train wreck. I'm gonna have to consult with Bradley and Kandros on this. Maybe even Tann. Damnit, Ozz! Alright, I'm headed back to HQ. I'll be there in less than forty. We'll make a plan and extract him if possible."

Josie was incredulous. " _If possible_? Ozz is slowly dying out there. We've got to get him now. I could take Wade, Royce… maybe Brann. We could be airborne in five minutes."

"Negative," he replied firmly. "Medrilo just stepped on a freakin' landmine. If we screw this up, it could be all-out war with the krogan, and we can't afford that. Not to mention, we might all get canned by Kandros. No. You will wait for me to arrive. Forty minutes won't make enough of a difference to risk it. We'll get the whole team together and go in with a clear plan."

"Taylor, please!" Josie countered. "We already lost a friend. Please let us try-"

"I understand your heart, Walsh, but this is my call. We all love Ozz, but the stakes are just too high. Prep the shuttle and wait for me. Understood?"

"Yes sir," I answered, shutting off the radio.

Josie was irate. "This is crap! This is ridiculous! He's gonna die out there!"

"It stinks, but what can we do?" Royce said.

"What can we do?" She asked. "We can go save him, but we're too caught up with stupid red tape. Oh - and thanks for your support on the call, Leighton. You could at least _pretend_ to care." Her sarcasm was thick.

"Josie, I _do_ care, but I don't think you're seeing this clearly."

"What are you talking about?" She snapped back.

"Look - I know this was your mission on Havarl, and you feel responsib-"

"Oh no you don't," she interrupted, with a finger in his face. "Don't you try to sweet-talk me like I'm a kid. I know damn well what this is about. Ozz is one of us. He's in trouble, and you're willing to hang him out to dry to save face for the Tann and his cronies on the Nexus."

He sighed heavily. "Of course. Make _me_ the bad guy."

"Grissom?" She appealed to me. "I'm not crazy here, right?"

"I hate it too," I agreed, "but Keelan was clear with his orders…"

"To hell with his orders!" She fired back. "I say we take the shuttle anyway."

"And screw the whole thing up?" Royce retorted sharply. "You go in there with no plan and half a team, and you're likely to make a bad situation worse. Taylor's in charge because he's got a level head and can see the whole field. We need to defer to him."

She shook her head at him, wordless, as Brann entered the room.

"What's all the shouting about? I could hear you from outside…"

"We found Ozz," Josie explained. "He's trapped on Elaaden, and he's dying."

"… okay," Brann answered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "So what the hell are we standing around here for?"  
"Exactly!" Josie near-shouted.

"Taylor gave _clear orders_ to wait until he gets back," Royce added. "We're missing half our team."

"Back from where?" Brann asked.

"He's out past Cade Ridge. In the Nomad," I answered.

"Cade Ridge? That's an hour away," Brann said. "We don't have time for that!"

"I'm leaving," Josie said defiantly. "Who's with me?"

"I'll go warm up the shuttle," Brann said.

Royce was visibly angry. "You're gonna violate a _direct order_? And then what - face a court-martial?"

"I'd rather do that than sit and stare at the clock while Ozz suffocates to death."

"We're gonna save Ozz," Royce argued. "The _right_ way. Josie - you could be exiled…"  
"Then I'll be exiled, but I'm not gonna leave a teammate behind." She turned to me. "Are you coming, Grissom?"

Royce spoke up before I could. "Grissom - think this through. We all love Ozz, we all want him back safe. Our best chance is to go as a team, and let Commander Taylor make sure we can get in and out without trouble. You'll be suspended for this, maybe exiled. You may even get shot down. Don't do this."

Josie looked at me expectantly, eyebrows raised. I was torn. I cared more about Ozz than any of the rest of them, but Keelan had a point - go in with a full team and a plan, rather than risk stirring up a war. There was no more time for debate - I had to pick a side.

 **/ Author's Note /**

This is the point in the story where the path first diverges, based on Grissom's decision to either leave early with Josie or wait for Keelan to arrive. FanFiction guidelines won't permit me to include those choices here, so I've selected an option for you, the reader. If you'd like to decide for yourself, and experience the rest of the story the way it was meant to be read, head over to my simple web page and view/download the .pdf.

 **sites{d o t}google{d o t}com/view/apexextinction**

If you're content enough to continue on the FanFiction reader format, then by all means, do so, and enjoy!

Thanks for reading this far :-)

 _-C. Ridley Benbrook_


	14. Going Rogue

"Come on, Grissom, I know you," Josie pleaded. "You _know_ this is the right thing to do. I need your help. Please…"

"Let's go get him," I said, determined. Royce disagreed.

"You're all crazy. Freaking _crazy_. I'm ending this coup right now," he said, walking over to the radio.

"The hell you are," I rebutted, stepping in the way.

"What? Are you gonna fight me?" He asked. "I'm part of this team, too, you know."

"We should probably tie him up and lock him in the closet," Brann said. "Or maybe drug him."

"It this what you want, Josie?" Royce asked, with a disillusioned chuckle. "Mutiny?"

"Look, Royce," I said, trying a calmer approach, "you don't have to agree with us. Just step aside. Let us try."

"Taylor will still blame me," he said. "You wanna get exiled, that's fine, but I'm not going down with you."

"You don't have to," I countered. "Taylor didn't hear _you_ on the radio - just me and Josie. Tell him you were showering, and when you came in we were gone."

He pressed his lips together tightly, shaking his head in defeat. "Fine. I'm doing this for you, Josie. The rest of you can go to hell. Or Kadara. Whichever's worse."

Josie scoffed with an eye roll, and left the room to get the shuttle ready for takeoff.

Brann stepped to within inches of Royce. "If you betray us, I'll gut you like a fish. I suggest you take that shower. Now."

Royce left in a hurry, leaving us to grab our gear and head to the shuttle.

"What about Paladra?" I asked, as Brann and I stepped onboard. "We could really use her medical skills."

"Yeah, but she's in the middle of an autopsy on the other side of the valley," Josie replied. "There's no time. Besides, I'm not sure she'd go along with this. We're kinda committing career suicide here."

"We can trust her," I argued. "I know it."

Josie sighed heavily. "There's no time. Ozz is _dying_ , Grissom. We've gotta go."

I didn't like it, but she was right. Every moment we wasted was a step closer to losing another team member.

"Okay, we'll leave her out of it," I conceded. "Who's gonna fly this thing?"

"I am," Josie said, walking to the cockpit and flipping a few switches.

"You know how to fly these?"  
"I know enough. Been a copilot plenty of times in a pinch. Besides, they practically fly themselves. Just tell the computer where you wanna go."

I was more than a little uncomfortable with that solution, but we had no other options. I'd never attempted to fly anything, and neither had Brann. I settled into the seat next to Josie, and we took off, rapidly ascending through the atmosphere. Prodromos air traffic control asked us for a bearing, and we turned the radio off. The point of no return had been passed. We were officially AWOL { _AWOL - military shorthand for "away without leave." Leaving one's post without the intent to desert._ } . As soon as we were clear of the planet's gravity, we pulsed into FTL, pushing the shuttle as hard as we could, to get to Elaaden.

There wasn't much talking on the way. Josie vented about Royce's refusal to help, we talked through our options if the worst happened and we were forced into exile, and Brann charted out a search radius and approach angle for our rescue attempt. I tried to chase the images out of my mind, but I couldn't stop envisioning Ozz, lying dead on the sand in a pool of foamy mucus, just like the salarian scientists. That was a realistic possibility the three of us didn't want to acknowledge. We could very well be throwing away our futures for a guy who was already dead. I wouldn't let myself dwell on it, though. It was just too disheartening.

We went over the plan again, as we approached Elaaden and settled into orbit. It would have to be a quick in and out maneuver - we couldn't allow the krogan to know why we were there - or even that we were there at all. We programmed the auto-pilot to bring us down about 40 miles from Apex HQ. From there, we could skim the ground to search for Ozz, while staying under their radar. At least, that was the hope.

The descent was smooth and uneventful, thanks to the autopilot, but once Josie took manual controls, things got… bumpy. To put it nicely. Her piloting skills weren't quite up to the task, and we ended up _literally_ skimming the top of of dozens of sand dunes, then overcorrecting with too much altitude, then skimming dozens more. Fortunately for us, the search was much easier than we expected. Less than ten minutes into our bumpy manual-pilot ride, we picked up an Apex distress beacon, emanating about 4 miles southeast of Apex HQ. We followed the signal, and landed the shuttle nearby, pressurizing our hardsuits and stepping out to finish the search on foot.

It was an odd dusky nighttime when we disembarked, with a howling wind that threw sand against my helmet visor so incessantly that it was hard to see. Brann came across him first, calling us over. The scene was chilling - there was Ozz, facedown in the sand, wearing only his rubberized suit liner.

"Oh my god, is he dead?" Josie gasped, stooping down to turn him over. "Ozz! Can you hear me? Guys, I don't feel a pulse…"

My heart sank for a moment, but then his chest lurched, drawing in a gurgling breath. He was alive. Sort-of.

"C'mon, let's get him to the shuttle," I said, picking him up gingerly. I had never carried a salarian - it was amazing how little he weighed, given his height. He took a few more intermittent, gasping breaths as I carried him, muttering incoherently. Finally, his eyes blinked, wincing in pain as the wind scraped them with abrasive, gritty gusts. Once we got Ozz into the shuttle, Josie, Brann and I huddled around him, trying to assess his health needs. His head was raw from sand burn, hands scraped and scabbed, but there was no evidence of any gunshot wounds. We pressurized the cabin, and placed an emergency oxygen mask over his mouth and nostrils, taking quick breaks to coax some water down his throat. After nearly 15 minutes of intensive care, he came to - abruptly conscious and coherent.

"Walsh! Wade, Brann…I'm… alive."

"I told you we'd come for you," Josie said, beaming with joy.

"The evidence," he said, patting his chest. He reached a hand inside his suit, wincing in pain, and pulled out a small pouch of brown paste.

I took it and carefully placed it on a bench nearby. "We've got it, buddy. You're good. Just rest and drink some more water." While Brann got him started with another water pouch, I pulled Josie aside. "We should radio back to Eos - tell them we've got Ozz. Maybe it'll soften the blow when we get back."

"Can we even do that?" She asked.

"Yeah, we've done it on a few Apex missions. The shuttle's short-range comm is set up with access codes for the QEC's at the local H.Q.'s. We use the code, relay through the QEC at the H.Q. here, and back to the H.Q. on Eos"

She folded her arms, exhaling sharply. "I don't like it…"

"We're gonna have to face the music sooner or later. Better to give the Commander time to cool down before we get back."

"Ugh! You're right."

"I know," I said, with a wink. "I'll make the call."

I went up to the cockpit, and hunted for buttons until I found the right combination. The radio connected to the local QEC, and after a short wait, I had Echo HQ on the line.

"This is Echo H.Q., state your name and position," the voice on the other end commanded. It was Royce.

"Royce - it's Grissom Wade. We're here on Elaaden and we've got Ozz. He's not good, but he's alive."

"Wade. Stay on the line, while I get Commander Taylor. He's… got some words for you."

I held in silence, bracing myself for a chew-out. Keelan didn't disappoint.

"Wade? What the hell were you thinking? Was I not clear?! DAMNIT, Wade! You know how much trouble you've caused me? I just got a flash-memo from the Mayor's office about a salarian fugitive who was caught poisoning the krogan food supply. You wanna take a wild guess who that is? And he's in MY DAMN SHUTTLE, with freakin' Initiative logos plastered all over it, and KEELAN FREAKIN' TAYLOR on the registry."

"Sir, I completely understand, and I will face the consequences when I return, but we've got Medrilo - alive, and we've got evidence of this genophage virus."

"I don't care if you have the freakin' holy grail," he said coldly. "I just want the damn shuttle back. Now! You listen to me - you will bring it back _immediately_ , in mint condition, or I will kick my boot so far up your ass, you won't take a crap for a month. _Am I clear_?"

"Crystal clear, sir. It'll be done a.s.a.p."

"We'll send you a return trajectory that should help you get off-planet without setting off the alarm and starting a damn war with the krogan. Taylor out."

"Stay connected to the QEC relay," Royce instructed. "Trajectory data will be sent to your onboard computer. We'll disconnect from our end. … see you soon."

I walked back to the crew cabin, where Josie waited with scrunched, raised eyebrows. "How bad is it?"

"Eh. I've seen him worse," I said. "Still… we should get going as soon as Ozz can handle it."

Josie nodded, heading back to the cockpit, while Brann and I continued getting water to Ozz. In 5 minutes, she had the return trip auto-pilot trajectory, and we were ready for takeoff. Ozz was still weak, but he seemed to rebound really quickly once he had enough water in his system. Must've been a salarian thing. We strapped him into a bench seat, and the shuttle took off, lumbering across the dunes again on our way to a safe enough point to ascend into orbit. Once we were a safe distance from the krogan colony, Josie pulled us up and engaged the auto-pilot, mercifully ending the dune-hopping. It should've been an easy, hassle-free return trip, but when did anything in my life ever go the easy way?

Halfway through the upper atmosphere, we noticed a blip on our radar, closing the gap behind us.

"Grissom!" Josie shouted, starting to panic as the blip got closer. "Somebody's chasing us."

"Well, lose 'em!" I shouted back.

"Do I look like a fighter pilot to you?" She barked.

"You're all we've got, Jo. Gotta try."

"Maybe I can beat them to the jump," she said, pushing the shuttle to max speed. It still wasn't enough.

"If you go FTL before we reach orbit, you'll rip us to shreds. It won't work. Gotta try and shake him."

"Crap, crap, _crap_!" She said nervously, taking the flight controls from the shuttle's autopilot. The shuttle lurched, and we took a sharp downward turn, bringing the horizon back into view. The radar blip followed.

"It's not working!" She shouted. "It's almost on us."

"Try hailing them," I suggested, running out of ideas. "Maybe we can talk our way out."

"I'm a little busy here," she replied. "You come up here and try."

Before I could get to the cockpit, I was thrown off my feet, as the shuttle rocked violently to the side. I heard the metal pinging sound of automatic gun fire penetrating our outer hull.

"Get down!" I shouted to Brann and Ozz, as another spray of bullets hit us, this time cutting all the way into the passenger cabin. The pressurized air in the shuttle hissed as it rushed out the bullet holes. I did a quick check, as Josie rocked and swayed. No one had been hit. Yet.

"Josie!" I shouted.

"I can't shake him!"

I grabbed hold of the bench to pull myself up toward her, and suddenly, there was no back hatch. An explosion on the tail end of the ship ripped the rear quarter completely off, leaving a gaping hole, and sending us into a spin. We all shouted and held on for dear life, unable to get our bearings as we tumbled helplessly back down toward the planet's surface.

Josie worked with all her might to regain control of the shuttle with the one engine that remained, and eventually, she was able to stabilize our constant spinning. The trouble was, we were still losing altitude. The shuttle had an emergency landing protocol, and after fumbling around with the control panel for a nerve-racking minute, Josie got it to engage, leaving the cockpit and strapping into the seat next to mine. She put her hand in mine, looking at me through the visor in her hardsuit helmet.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Just hang on," I replied. "We're gonna make it."

Tall, wavy dunes stretched out for hundreds of miles in every direction below us, like a blanket stretched out to break our fall. Sand or not, the landing was anything but soft. The single engine that slowed our descent crumpled on impact, and what remained of our shuttle went tumbling down a surprisingly tall dune, which must have been over 1,000 feet from crest to valley. After rolling nearly all the way down the slope, we came to a stop, dizzy and bruised, but alive.

The first thing I noticed after the shock wore off wasn't the sand, or the gap in the hull of the ship, or even the remarkable fact that we survived. It was the heat. Whichever part of the planet it was that we came to rest on, it was already late morning, and the sun was bearing down with fury. I felt my suit's environmental controls kick in, and thanked God for the instant relief - but then I remembered that Ozz didn't have the luxury of a hardsuit.

"We've gotta seal off the hull," I said to Josie. "Ozz is gonna burn up."

"Do you know how?" She asked, shaking her head like she was trying to break out of post-crash disorientation.

"There should be an emergency bulkhead control somewhere in the middle here. Help me look."

We searched until we found the controls, pulling the crew and any useful supplies toward the front of the ship, and activating the energy field. The sand outside went blurry, as the beam wall sealed us in. A few minutes later, the fore of the shuttle pressurized, and the ship's environmental controls brought the temperature down from the upper 150's to a more manageable 95 degrees. We removed our helmets, and took a few minutes to assess our situation.

The shuttle was barely operational, running at about 15% power using the emergency generator near the cockpit. Both engines were out, and the comm array was damaged enough to make long-distance radio contact difficult or impossible. We had 11 one-quart water pouches, a dozen nutrient bars, and a collection of weapons and flares. And we had each other. Beyond that, there wasn't much to speak of.

Whoever attacked us must have believed we were dead - 4 hours later, and no one had come by to finish the job. Of course, it could be that they knew anyone stranded this far out into the desert would be dead eventually. The morning heat swelled into an afternoon inferno, and with external heat rising over 170 degrees, the shuttle was only able to keep us around 105. The dry heat was more tolerable than the humidity on Kadara, but it also necessitated more water. We rationed it carefully between the four of us, but still went through 2 of our 11 pouches by mid-afternoon. We couldn't hold out for long - we needed a rescue.

In our desperation, we risked putting out an SOS, using every Apex and Initiative frequency, wile we hunkered down and waited for Keelan or Apex Bravo to find us. By sunset, there was no sign of help, we were another water pouch down, and mild concern was evolving into acute worry. The temperature let up for a while - a welcome relief - but then we had the other side of the coin. The absence of light on the desert sand brought a quick and extreme temperature swing, and by the time we were 2 hours into night, it was just a few degrees above freezing. We agreed to try and catch some sleep in shifts, and made it through until morning, with 7 water pouches on hand and the ship's power reserves at 8%.

Another day and night went by, and near dawn on the third day, the shuttle ran out of power. We raided our hardsuit supplies to buy us a few more hours, but before we hit the peak of the afternoon heat, those gave out, too. No power meant no air conditioning… and no distress signal. With just 2 water pouches left, and no sign of help, despair was setting in. Ozz tried to lighten the mood by getting our minds off of our misery and impending death.

"Alright everyone, I have a game. We'll go around the room, and each of us disclose something about ourselves that few people know - or, perhaps, something about us that is surprising. I'll start. I've never had even a sip of alcohol."

"Are you serious?" Brann asked. "Not even at, ya' know, a birthday party? Or before an exam?"

"Why in the world would I imbibe before taking an exam?" Ozz asked with genuine curiosity.

"What, salarians don't do that?" Brann countered, surprised. "I thought everybody drank before tests. Helps ya limber up, not get too nervous."

Ozz stared at him blankly, blinking often. "… I will never understand krogan culture."

"Eh. Your loss," Brann said, sloughing it off.  
"Okay, who's next?" Ozz asked.

"I'll go next," I offered. "But first, I'm gonna lose a layer of clothing. Sorry, y'all." Even in the dry air, my shirt was sticking to me like I had glue for sweat. I peeled it off, and rolled my pants legs up to my knees. "Okay, something y'all don't know… I'm a gene-mod baby. _After_ they passed the laws."

Josie perked up. "Wait - you're modded? What did they change?"

"These eyes were supposed to be blue," I answered, holding my eyelids open extra wide. "Six generations of Wade's had blue eyes. My dad broke the trend, married my mom, who's part Latina, part Native American, part… well, a whole lotta parts, actually. Anyway, she had dark, dark eyes. So, my oldest brother, Jonathan, they paid the big bucks to mod him - same eyes as grandad, same nose, same cleft chin. Got everything right but the eyes - they came out grey. Tried again with my middle brother. Perfect blue eyes, but he was born mentally disabled. So, mom gets pregnant with me, dad says forget the eyes, just give me a healthy baby. Mom goes rogue, gets gene therapy at another specialist without my dad even knowing. I come out of the womb… also not blue. So yeah, I'm not a supporter of gene-modding. At least, not until they get a lot better at it."

"A valid point," Ozz replied. "Salarians have been successfully modifying our DNA for generations. Humanity will get there. So… Josie? What secrets do you have to share?"

Josie sighed. "I don't know… um… let me think for a minute."

"In the meantime, the pants are coming off," I said, removing the thick, sandy fabric from my thighs, which left me in a pair of dark grey compression shorts.

Josie raised one eyebrow. "Just how many layers are you planning on losing?"

"Don't get your hopes up," I replied with a wink. "I've still got a sense of decency. But man, I gotta tell ya - this is way better. You gotta try it."

She laughed. "Uh - no. Keep dreaming."

"Why not? I mean, all joking aside, it's _stupid_ hot in here. You'll be a lot less miserable with some airflow."

" _Why not_?" She replied, scoffing. "For starters, I haven't shaved my legs in a week. It's _not_ happening."

Brann was confused. "Wait - you shave your body hair?"

"Oh yeah," she said, with raised eyebrows.

"But, don't you _want_ your females with hair?" Brann asked me. "I thought that was… ya' know, one of those human turn-ons."

"Hair on the head, absolutely," I answered. "Hair on the legs… eh, I guess it's just a cultural thing. I guarantee a little stubble bothers Josie more than it bothers me."

"Seriously, can we be done talking about this?" She said, sighing and covering her face. "I've got my answer to your question, Ozz."

"For the record, I think body hair is repulsive," Ozz replied. "No offense."

"None taken, Ozzie," I said. "So, Josie…"

"Okay, so, when I was in high school, I gave myself a tattoo."

"No way!" I said, leaning in. "You did it to yourself? Why?"

"Dad was… _really_ conservative. I wanted one, he said 'no way,' so my friend and I looked it up on the web, got the stuff, and yeah. Permanent reminder of being young and reckless."

"Oh, I've _gotta_ see this," I said, with a chuckle. "C'mon…"

She groaned. "I knew you were gonna say that. Okay, don't judge. I was seventeen." She lifted her shirt slightly and lowered her waist band to reveal an ornate character from a foreign language on her upper hip, surrounded with an assortment of swirling lines. "It's the Thessian symbol for resilience," she explained.

"You did that?" I asked, astonished. It was beautifully done.

"I messed up the bottom part of it," she said, almost apologetically, "and it's a little off-center."

"I think you missed your calling," I said, as she covered it back up.

"Well, I always did fingernail art, figured it would be the same idea. Didn't count on it hurting so much, though."

"I think I'd pass out before I got the needle in" Ozz said. "Humans are a surprisingly hearty breed."

"Ha! That's nothing," Brann grunted. "Krogan do our own _amputations_."

"And you've actually seen this?" Ozz said skeptically.

"Saw it on a documentary once."

"'Krogg the Conqueror' doesn't qualify as a documentary."

"Hey know… don't go insulting a classic," Brann said defensively. "Krogg, and Krogg Two… actually, all five of 'em - those are some of the finest pieces of cinema ever made."

"So, 'I'm a krogan who likes Krogg movies' is not in the least bit surprising," Ozz said condescendingly. "Surely you've got something better than that, Brann…"

"Meh. I don't really have one," he replied.

"Sure you do," Josie encouraged. "C'mon, there's gotta be something…"

"You must have me confused with an asari. I'm not really the 'share your secrets' type of guy," he answered dismissively.

"Brann, we may all be dead by this time tomorrow," Ozz said, as all levity left the room. "What have you got to lose?"

Brann huffed, thinking it over in silence for a while. "Okay," he relented, "but any of you breathe a word of this to anyone… I'll cook you and eat your entrails."

"Wow, thanks for the visual," I joked.

He looked at the ground. "So… I'm not actually clan Raik. I, uh… don't… actually have a clan."

"You what? Were you… adopted?" I asked.

"No, I know who my _parents_ are, dumbass," he retorted. "I failed my rite of passage."

"Sorry - just asking," I said.

"It's a sore subject," he explained. "Buddies took me out drinking the night before the rite. We, uh, got a little carried away with the ryncol { _Ryncol - a distilled krogan liquor, known for causing stomach trauma or even death to softer species_ }. When I woke up, it was halfway through the next day."

"You couldn't just… reschedule?" Josie asked.

"You miss the rite, you fail," he said bitterly. "Fail the rite, and you have no clan. Have no clan, and you're a loser. An outcast. It was either piss my life away as a mercenary, or join up with the Initiative. Raik is my father's clan. It would've been mine if I hadn't screwed it up. Nobody here except for Kesh and her grandfather know any different… and _it's gonna stay that way_." He glared at each of us in turn to get his threatening point across. "I'm the only Raik in the galaxy. This is kinda my chance to redeem the clan name."

"You got it, buddy," I said, reaching over to slap his back. "You've more than proven yourself with Apex. This galaxy is all about fresh starts. You left the old Brann behind, six hundred years ago. I say you can claim whatever clan you want."

"I'm… impressed, Brann," Ozz remarked, breathing quick, shallow breaths. I could tell he wasn't handling the heat well. "You have my respect. So… anyone else have something to share? While we still have clear minds…"

"I was engaged once," I said with a sigh. "And she, um… she left me. For my cousin."

"Ouch," Josie said, eyebrows pulled together in empathy. "How old were you?"

"Twenty-one. I was a senior in college."

"Interesting. Is that… normal for humans?" Ozz asked.

"No, it's not," I answered with a shrug. "She was a great girl. Arylinn Conley. My first love, you know? We met freshman year. Dated all the way through college."

"And she just _dumped_ you?" Josie asked in disbelief.

"Aww, it was my fault, really. I took it hard when Jonathan died. Got real depressed, drank too much, kinda sabotaged all my relationships with grief. I actually, um… Ha! I guess this is another one for me… I never even finished college. Couldn't keep it together that last semester. So, um… yeah, she left. Gave me the 'I just don't love you anymore. Not sure I ever really loved you like that.' speech."

"That's cold," Brann said. "Human women are meaner than I thought."

"Not gonna lie. I kinda hated her for a little while," I continued, "but she and William, they ended up getting married a year and a half later. So, she was family, and I had to get over it. 'Course, they're both long dead now, so what's it really matter, anyway?"

"It helps to get things like that out into the open," Ozz said. "It may not matter to them, but releasing the angst matters to you."

"Well, this just might be my last day," I said "It'd be a shame to carry stuff to the grave. I guess, I dunno, better to air out the old hurts, get some closure."

Josie was quiet, but I could tell there was something big on her mind. She looked conflicted - almost pained. Ozz and Brann seemed to notice, too, and we were all still for a while, before she broke the silence.

"I had a son, back in the Milky Way. Jonas. He was beautiful. He was perfect. … and he's dead. And it's my fault."

The rest of us sat, stunned. Nobody really knew what to say. Josie was so young, and athletic… and generally not motherly-acting. It was hard to believe.

"Whoah. Yeah, that beats mine," Brann said, scratching his head. "I don't suppose you wanna talk-"

"No," Josie cut him off sharply. "I do _not_ want to talk about it."

I studied her face. On the surface, she was collected. Balanced. Matter-of-fact. I could see the emotion peeking through the mask, though. Pain in her eyes, the slightest quiver in her jaw. I leaned over and placed my hand on her calf, showing support rather than saying it. She looked at me for a moment with those grief-rimmed eyes, but broke away, biting her lip to keep the emotions at bay. I wanted so badly to hug her, to let her cry it out, and get all the gory details, but I knew she wouldn't go for that. At least, not right away. Josie was tough, and she wanted to be seen that way. She was still human, though, and there was a lot of hurt under that armor she wore.

Josie's revelation sort-of broke the game, and as the afternoon sun continued to sap our energy, we became more and more lethargic. By the time the sun was starting to set, Ozz had drifted off to somewhere in between sleep and whatever the salarian equivalent of a coma was. We were at the end of the line, and we all knew it. With the temperature starting to fall, Brann got up, and put his boots on.

"We're all dead if we stay here," he said. "You three are gonna die of thirst, or heat, or both. I've got enough in my hump for a week."

"So, what - you're leaving?" I asked, surprised at how weak even my voice had become.

"I'm going for help," he said, removing the liner from his helmet and sticking the shell over his head.

"Brann, there's nothing for a hundred miles," I said. "We saw it flying in. We're in an endless desert."

"Well, I'd rather die trying than die waiting," he said. "I'm not gonna sit here and watch you three shrivel up if I can do something about it."

I stood to my feet, extending my hand to shake his. He gave me a nod, and walked out into the swirling sand.

"I'm worried, Jos," I said, as we watched him pass out of sight. "It's gonna be a long night."

"Me too," she said softly. "Don't leave me."

"Never," I replied, stroking her shoulder.

The sun dropped out of view, and the temperature dropped with it. I put my pants and shirt back on, and covered Ozz up with the thermal blanket in the emergency kit. Josie and I huddled next to each other to fight off the cold, eventually settling in with me lying on my back, arms around her as she rested her weight on me, with her face nestled into my neck. It was odd - I never thought I'd be laying next to her again, and certainly not like this. As miserably hungry and hopeless as I felt, though, her body next to mine was comforting.

We laid on the verge of shivering for hours, both trying to sleep, but unable to stay out of consciousness. Sometime after the cold seemed to have leveled off, she spoke up, voice raspy and dry.

"You awake, Grissom?"

"Yeah. You can't sleep either, huh?"

"Not really. You think Ozz is gonna make it through the night?"

"He's stronger than he looks," I assured her. "He'll pull through."

"Yeah, I hope you're right… So… this girl, Arylinn. Tell me about her."

"Oh man, um, where to start? She was great. Pretty, smart, she even loved the Cowboys."

"Well, _I_ love the Cowboys. A little," she chuckled.

"That so? Well, you just took another step up the cool ladder. 'Course, it's hard to be from Dallas and not at least like the Cowboys a little. Arylinn, though… she was great. Anyone would tell you that. A good girl. I think my mom loved her even more than I did, but… I dunno, it was like she was always trying to make me something different. Something more. Truth be told, after I got over the heartache of getting dumped, it was a little bit of a relief to have the expectations gone."

Josie sighed, and was quiet for a while. "Grissom, you're a freaking boy scout. And you make friends as easily as breathing. … and, I mean… you're not terrible to look at in a pair of boxers. What could she _possibly_ want that you didn't have?"

"Oh, lots," I answered. "I was full of ideas back then, but not much good at follow-through. She wanted something exotic, you know - larger than life. I was in line to work in the family business, eventually take over. Live on the same land that the Wade's had owned since the nineteen-hundreds. Arylinn had her eyes in the stars, and… truth is, life with me would've been… well, normal."

"Ha! You call _this_ normal?"  
"This? Haha, no. _Hell_ , no. This is my response to being too 'normal.' I dunno, I think something broke inside me when she left. My whole life I'd been trying to live up to everyone's expectations, and kept falling short. I loved the crap out of my brother, but he cast such a big shadow… I was never quite the football player he was, or the popular kid, or the valedictorian. The Wade's are - or were, I guess - a well-known, respected family in my town. There was a picture of my great-grandad on the wall at City Hall. It was… a lot to live up to. I actually joined the Marines to prove to myself that I could do something right. Well, not just do it _right_ \- do it to the max. Exceed expectations. Be something more. And then I took my aptitude placement test, and you know where they pegged me? Cooking. My brother gets eaten alive protecting our colonies, Batarian pirates are pillaging and carrying people off as slaves, and they think I'm best suited to scramble eggs. Only reason I got into combat duty was because Grady's uncle was a lieutenant colonel, and he grandfathered me in. That's been my whole life's story, you know? Coming up just short of the mark. Hell, even my eyes didn't live up to expectations. And I guess…" I sighed, as I trailed off.

"What?" She asked.  
"Look, Josie… I never got the chance to explain _why_ I took the Apex assignment. Or, I didn't _take_ the chance. But, honestly, the reason I did it was because for the first time in my life, I really felt like… I dunno… like I was more than average. Like I was above and beyond. Like someone really believed in me, more than just mom. Mom's don't really count - they have to say that stuff. Anyway, it was a totally self-centered thing, and… and I realize that doing that left things between us up in the air, and… we really drifted… and that's on me."

"No, that one's not on you. I was the one who drifted. I just couldn't. You _left_. I know you had your reasons, and honestly, I don't… don't blame you for it. You've gotta do what you've gotta do. That's _my_ life story. People leave. Mom quit on the family. She just didn't want to be a wife or a mother anymore. I acted like it didn't bother me, but it crushed me, Grissom. _Crushed me_. It's not your fault, and it's not fair, but I'm just sensitive to the whole, 'leaving me' thing, I guess. And… I don't um, blame you - for moving on. I know, I have issues…"

"What do you mean, _moving on_?" I asked, leaning up to look at her.

"Therios," she said, craning her neck to look my way. Her tone sounded like the answer should've been obvious. "Devin told me about it. To each his own, right? I mean, I didn't take you for an asari guy, but she seems nice enough…"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah - Josie, I'm not _romantically involved_ with Paladra. We're just… friends." At least, I thought we were. Intimate, really close friends.

"… you're dating her."

"No, it's… we're not _dating…_ "

"So, you're sneaking off together all the time to go and be 'just friends?'" Her tone was accusatory, not inquisitive. It was obviously a sore subject.

I sighed. "It's not like that." I meant it, but as the words came out of my mouth, I wondered just how true they were. The last time we were together, things were heavy… pretty intense for 'just friends.'

"It's fine," she said, almost too casually. "I'm not jealous. Like I said, I'm the one who messed things up."

"Well, in fairness, you never exactly mentioned you were with Royce."

"What? Who told you that?"

"Uh, Royce. He tracked me down, first day I was back on Eos. Made sure I knew you two were a 'thing.'"

She rolled her eyes, laying her head back down. "We went on _one date_. He kissed me, it was… super-awkward. I like him and all, he's a good guy, but… not like that. Not… yeah, especially now. Ha! _Especially_ now. Of course, I guess he was right about the whole, 'wait for Taylor' thing after all, wasn't he? Doesn't make him less of an asshole in my book, though. You just don't turn your back on people. I appreciate that about you, Grissom. You're loyal to your _friends_ \- I'll give you that."

The thought of her kissing that blond, bearded goober turned my stomach upside down. I breathed slowly, feeling her head rise and fall on my chest and wondered what it would've been, _could've_ been if I hadn't left. Would this be normal for us? Would I have found a way to screw it up anyway? I felt like a total jerk, knowing my Apex job had stirred up all those abandonment issues for her. I never thought it would affect other people.

"Josie… I'm sorry for hurting you. Honestly. If I'd known…"

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, too," she said. "Sorry for dragging you out here to die. I thought we could make it, but… karma is finally paying me back, and… you're caught in the wake… and… … sorry." Her voice was betraying the emotions under the surface, barely more than a whisper at the end.

"Karma's got nothing to do with this," I replied. "You made a call, it seemed right. Stuff goes wrong sometimes-"

"No, it's me. The universe is paying me back… and I deserve it."

"What could you have done that was so bad to deserve all this?" She didn't answer. "…is this about your son?"

She sniffled, reaching up to wipe tears. "… yeah."

"Tell me what happened."  
"I don't want to."

"Look - I'm not gonna judge you. Hell, we might both be dead tomorrow. Might as well get it off your chest."

"I know, I know. Get it out, get closure. I know all that crap, heard it before."

"That doesn't mean it's not true," I replied softly. "Grief doesn't heal as long as it's buried. Trust me, I know."

"It's a long… _messy_ story. Embarrassing…"  
"You can trust me, Josie. Whatever it is… besides, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. Start from the beginning. Please…"

She heaved a long, weary sigh, and started. "I had him when I was twenty. Wasn't trying to get pregnant - I actually cried when I found out. My boyfriend, Cal… ugh. He was piece of work, but when it came to Jonas, he was really excited. Probably the only reason he stuck around as long as he did."

"Let me guess - he left you, too?"

"Cal and I never had a good relationship to start with. Well, that's a story, too. I went to Burton Military Academy in Houston when I finished high school. Wanted to get some space from my dad. He was a good dad, he was just really protective. I was a 'good girl' too - in high school. Honor roll, never got in trouble, never messed around with the boys. So, when I got to Houston, I just wanted to live a little, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Well, I was in the infiltration program, and I was good. I mean, _top of my class_ good, but my friends got me started on Hallex { _Hallex - an illicit drug, used for its sensory-enhancement and mild hallucinogenic effects_ }, and, um… well… I got into it pretty deep. Came into school one day, half an hour late, and high as a kite, and Commander Woodson dropped me from the program. Just like that."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, I tried to appeal it, but the truth is, I was doing a crappy job. Once I got into Hallex, my grades started slipping, projects got turned in late… it was probably the right call. So, I dropped out, lived on couches in friends' houses, stole and ran cons to get money to buy the next fix. I did that for about six months, just wasting my life… and then I was recruited by the Shadow Broker { _Shadow Broker - a nameless, faceless information broker, known for being ruthless , wealthy and well-connected_ }. He, or she, or whoever - nobody really knowns - anyway, he wanted me to work for him back on Beckenstein, collecting information, breaking into offices, faking documents… a lot of mildly illegal things. I didn't like some of the work, but the money was good. That's where I met Cal. He was a dealer, and I could finally afford to buy the good stuff. We dated for about a year before I got pregnant. Scared the crap out of me, realizing there was a human being growing inside me. I wasn't ready for it at all. I tried to get clean - you know, for the baby. Even did rehab. But… I was dating a Hallex dealer. So, after Jonas was born, I got right back into it. It was a stressful job, working for the Shadow Broker. Definitely not conducive to having a newborn at home. Hallex was my way of coping with it all."

"I understand the weight of pressure on your shoulders," I said. "People turn to different things to cope. So you got stuck in it - happens to a lot of people…"

"Oh, it's more than that," she continued. "When Jonas was a newborn, Cal and I started fighting more. Yelling, throwing stuff… full-blown, ugly stuff. Eventually we were just fighting all the time - I was a crappy girlfriend. And a really crappy mom. I'd get high and just be absent. And then I'd feel so guilty, I'd cry all night, and change, and be the hugs and cuddles mom… and then I'd get called out on another job, or get sucked back into a Hallex bender again. I was a mess. I mean, a _mess_. So yeah, Cal left me. I came home one day, and he was gone. And he…" she started to tear up, pausing for a moment before continuing. "He took Jonas with him. Left me a note, and that was it. No address, no number - they just both disappeared from my life."

"Wow. But, you worked for the Shadow Broker. Couldn't you, I don't know… get some intel or something?"

"Well, yeah, of course. But it's the _Shadow Broker_. Everything has a price. He agreed to track down Cal and Jonas for me, but I had to do some more… sketchy jobs. Pretty soon, I wasn't just gathering info, I was planting false evidence, framing innocent people. The last straw came when I did a job on this turian politician, made it look like he was having an affair. The wife found out, and went crazy. Killed her husband and his fake lover, then killed herself. Left three kids as orphans. I was…" More tears came. She didn't try to hold them back. "I was responsible for that, Grissom. That's who I was. I left three kids orphans, and couldn't even be a mom for my own son. Mom chose work over me. I… I chose Hallex over Jonas."

I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know what to say. "We've all done some stupid crap when we were young. You had some bad years, but that's not _who you are_."

"Yeah, well it was. I hated myself. But, a deal's a deal. I got the location for Jonas, like the Broker promised. Tracked him down on the other side of the planet… and… he, um…" she broke up through sobs. "He didn't even recognize me… … I missed a year of his life - he was almost two. I had it out with Cal, demanded to at least get to see Jonas. Seeing him there… and not knowing me… it was what I needed to change. I got help, got off of Hallex, and started looking for a way out of my job. The thing is, the Broker doesn't let people quit. I knew too much."

"So, what did you do?"  
"I reached out to a contact I had inside Cerberus-"

"Okay - Shadow Broker, and now Cerberus? Holy cow, Josie…"

"I know, I know. I told you it was ugly…"

"I'm sorry," I said, kicking myself for being insensitive. "I said no judgement. Just… you realize Cerberus was responsible for the massacre on Akuze, right?"

"What?" She said, "seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Crap. And your brother… I get why you hate them so much. Guess that extends to me, too, huh?"

"Josie…"

"No, it's okay. I get it. See, that's why I don't like talking about my past. I was a terrible person. I know. Just… for what it's worth… I had no idea about Akuze. I swear. I was just desperate - I was trying to get my son back…"

"Hey - I told you no judgement. I mean it. Cerberus sucked a lot of good people in. If they got John Shepard to turn… I don't blame you, and I sure don't hate you. Please… tell me the rest."

"Okay. So about Cerberus… Well, they were willing to get me and Jonas out, get us a new name, protection from the Broker, in exchange for all the intel I could dish on him and his operations. I didn't like it, but I had no other options - I had to try, but…"

I could hear the emotions picking up in her voice, as she trailed off, sniffing through another round of tears.

"Jos…"

"Sorry, it's just…"

"It's okay… if it's too much…"

"No, I, um… need to face it. You're right." She was quiet for a moment, taking deep, quivering breaths. "So, they were supposed to pick us up on a Tuesday night, get us off the planet on a shuttle, but… um… there was a mole inside Cerberus… and… and the shuttle never made it to me. It… blew up on the way... with my little boy inside…" She lost it, heaving deep, mournful cries for a good long while. I just held her in silence. There were no words to bring comfort. Eventually, she got her composure, and picked her story back up.

"I'm sorry, I've… never told that to anyone. I guess I never really even gave myself the chance to cry over it."

"Totally understandable. I'm so, so sorry, Josie…"

"Thanks… It's not that I didn't want to… I just didn't have _time_ to grieve. The Broker put out a bounty on my head - I was on the run for my life. I stowed on board a ship, got off-planet… You can't hide from the Shadow Broker for long, though. If he wants you dead, you're dead. So, I made my way to Illium, made a deal with this big-time asari information broker in Nos Astra who was trying to take the him down. I gave her everything I had on him, all my contacts, my assignments… in exchange, she pulled some strings, and got me onto the Hyperion at the last minute. Six days later, I was going into cryo… and then I woke up next to you."

"Wow. Just… I don't know what to say…"

She chuckled dryly. "Temperance Walsh must've been pissed to miss the ship. Or maybe she was relieved. Who knows?"

"So, that's not even your real name, then…"

"Oh - no. Josie _Romero_. But, I'm kinda used to 'Walsh' now, so…"

"Right. Secret's safe with me," I said. "But, since I'm on the inside now… Josie what Romero?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your middle name…"

"Um… okay," she said. "Josie June. I think it was an homage to a grandmother somewhere down the line. Need anything else? My social security number? Blood type?"

I laughed. "No, just… I want to know you, Josie. The real you."

"I don't like the real me," she said, serious again. "You won't either."

"Give me the chance. I might surprise you."

"Yeah? Well, that would surprise me. I appreciate the effort, but… you just can't outrun your past sometimes. This whole thing… it's karma. I thought I left it all behind, but it followed me all the way out here…"

"Josie, you've gotta forgive yourself. So you made some bad choices. That doesn't have to define you."

"You make it sound so trivial. _People died_ because of me. My own son…"

"I know, and I would never make light of that. But… you're still alive. We keep living, so we have to let the past go, or it'll wreck us. When I look at you, I don't see an addict, or a thief, or a dropout, or whatever. I see a beautiful, resilient woman who's trying to be a better person. I've screwed my share of stuff up, too. Nobody does it all right, but look - if God can forgive you, don't you think _you_ should forgive you?"  
"Ha. I don't think God's forgiven me. I think that much is obvious."

"He will if you ask. Seriously."

She exhaled long and slow. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that. For now, though, it would be nice if He'd get us out of here."

"We're not dead yet, Jo. Maybe He will."

"… do you really not think I'm a despicable person?"

"Not at all."

She nuzzled a little closer into my neck, shivering in the cold. "Thanks."

It was a lot to take in - the drugs, the motherhood, the ties to shady organizations… I didn't blame her, though. I pitied her. To have been in such a dark place in life, to go through that kind of misery and heartache, and to come out on the other side said a lot about her character. And, it helped me make sense of her behavior. Well, at least some of it. Join that with the revelation that she wasn't interested in Royce, and all of a sudden, I was feeling better about my chances of rebuilding our relationship. I just needed to survive long enough to give it a try.

I lay there with all these thoughts swimming around in my head, and eventually dozed off sometime in the night, sleeping hard. I didn't wake until I heard the sound of shouting in the distance. I sat up in a hurry, waking Josie in the process, and looked across the swirling heat waves above the sand to see a handful of figures approaching us on foot. I was so shocked, I wasn't sure if we were being rescued or I was hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes, and squinted, as the figures got larger.

"Ryder! Looks like some of them are still alive," one of them shouted, accelerating to a run to reach us. It was a woman, followed closely by a turian. I recognized the insignia on their suits. They were part of the Pathfinder team. Scott Ryder himself was there in a moment, helping me to my feet, while the woman and turian gave attention to Ozz - who was still unconscious. They carried us, along with our gear, out to a relatively flat spot on the dunes, and brought their ship down right onto the sand to load up. The Tempest was the finest ship in the Initiative - complete with a well-stocked med bay and a pleasant asari doctor on board.

It was a miracle that we were found. The Pathfinder team was in orbit when they caught our faint distress signal, but an atmospheric dust storm was causing interference, and they couldn't pinpoint our location. They landed about 30 miles from the crash site, and ran across Brann in their first 5 minutes on the ground. When Ryder heard about our ordeal, he set out to rescue us, searching dune by dune, and insisted on taking us back to Eos on the Tempest so his doctor could attend to our needs. I had heard a mixed bag of things about the human pathfinder, but I came away really impressed with how down-to-earth and caring he was.

I spent the whole flight to Eos with my teammates in the med bay, getting rehydrated with IV's. Ozz was in some kind of salarian version of a coma, but he was alive, and Dr. T'Perro, the onboard medic, was optimistic about his chances of waking up. I was just thrilled to bring the whole team back alive. I knew we'd all be facing discipline when we got back to Prodromos… but the fact that we were getting back at all felt like such a win, I wasn't too concerned about what came next.

In just a few short hours, I went from being at death's door at the bottom of a sand dune, to touching down in Prodromos in the Tempest. I was overjoyed to see that familiar, rocky landscape unfurl as the cargo ramp lowered. I thanked God with every step down to the landing pad, safe at last, with the rest of my rogue-operation crew. There was a small crowd of curious and expectant faces waiting for us as we disembarked - and one blue streak came surging through the middle of them. Paladra hit me at full speed before I had even reached the tarmac, wrapping her arms around me so tightly it was hard to breathe. I drew in the sweet aroma of her skin, as she tucked her head next to mine… felt her heart pounding, and the wetness of her tears on my neck.

"Goddess, Grissom, I thought you were dead!" She said with breathy passion, still gripping me tightly. "People saw a shuttle explode in the atmosphere… Bravo searched a day and a half for survivors… am I dreaming?"

"I'm here, Paladra," I assured her, soaking in the moment. "Didn't think I was gonna make it, but we all survived."

She pulled back and took my face in her trembling hands. Tear streaks covered her cheeks, as new drops flowed from her watery eyes. "I thought I lost you. I can't… can't lose you, Grissom. Oh, thank the goddess! Thank your god!"

I pulled her back into my arms, more relieved to see her than I expected. And then, I had the sudden thought: _I wonder how this looks to Josie_ … Paladra and I were friends - good friends - to be sure, but our reunion sure didn't feel like a 'just friends' kinda thing. It probably didn't _look like_ one, either. Just when I had finally broken through and was ready to reconnect with Josie, I found myself way beyond the friend zone with Paladra… and I liked it. I had some major relational issues to sort out, and as Keelan stepped out of the crowd, tight-lipped and stern-faced, I realized I was going to have a lot of time on my hands to do so.


	15. Grounded

I grew up on a ranch. I rode horses, herded cattle, mended fences, I fixed stuff the old-fashioned way - with actual hand tools… but I'd never had blisters like this in my life. My feet had blisters. My hands had blisters. My blisters had blisters. When Keelan recommended a suspension from Apex and manual labor as a kinder alternative to exile, I thought he was doing me a favor. Three weeks and about a million blisters, cuts and bruises later, I was starting to wonder if exile would've been easier.

Josie, Brann, Ozz and I were benched indefinitely, serving 14-hour days building and fixing stuff in the heat, until the powers-that-be decided we'd learned our lesson. On the positive side, I got to keep my apartment, which is where Ozz, Josie and I had started meeting to try and unravel whatever larger plot was at work in the dark, back rooms of the the Andromeda galaxy. From the suspiciously-erased black box on Paladra's shuttle, to the poisoning on Havarl and the bioweapon on Elaaden, there were far too many 'coincidences' to be… well, a _coincidence_.

They came in separately as usual, under the cover of darkness, and I turned my radio receiver onto a channel with static, just in case someone was trying to listen in. Ozz got us started.

"Okay, I… have an unsettling theory. I hope I'm wrong."

"Great," I groaned. "Let's hear it."

"I think someone from the Initiative is behind this. And it may go all the way to the top."

"Wow. That's a pretty bold statement," Josie said, with raised eyebrows. We had hashed out a handful of theories over the previous few nights. The angara were the most common villain, but we kicked around ideas about power players among the exiles trying to exact revenge on the other initiative species, or even rogue elements within Apex itself. Director Tann and the Initiative were bound to come up eventually.

"Hear me out," Ozz said. "We know that there were factors inside the Nexus over a year ago, working to get the krogan out of the way."

"Right, the stuff you overheard," I said, following along.

"Exactly. And we knew it involved Spender, and possibly Foster. But what if it goes all the way up? Think about this - Tann knows the krogan are a threat. Brann notwithstanding, they can't be trusted, and every time they've been given an inch in government, they've taken a mile. If you can't work with the krogan, they instantly become a major threat - one that ideally you could eliminate altogether. However, with the political wounds of the exiles still fresh on everyone's minds, the Initiative can't take direct action against the krogan on Elaaden without causing another social upheaval. So, you frame _them_ for the salarian poisoning, and send out the updated genophage virus. If no one notices the virus, everyone assumes it's just a natural regression to Milky Way levels of genophage effectiveness. If someone, like myself, notices the food supply, they blame a rogue salarian exile, or even one of the scientists on the Nexus. All the while, Tann keeps his hands clean, and gets the krogan out of the way for good."

"Yeah, I guess that would make sense," I said, "but that still doesn't solve the issue of a mole inside Apex."

Ozz sighed. "Are we back to that, now? I told you, the communication lines we use are far from secure."

"Yeah, but the QEC is secure. No one can wiretap those things."

"Yes, but every other piece of the chain of communication is suspect."

"You're ignoring the obvious, Ozz. There's a mole, maybe on our own team."

"Do you really have so little trust in our own teammates?" He fired back. "What would they possibly stand to gain by it?"

"I don't know. Money? Power? Position? Could be a lot of things," I said, trying to keep my volume down. "Here's what I know. There was a very small group of people who knew Apex would be sent to Havarl for those hostages. It's just too convenient that Bravo Team showed up with dusted gear at the right time. And the easiest way to get that stuff tainted would be to have someone on the inside do it. And then there's the shuttle. Someone shot us down-"

"The _krogan_ ," Ozz said with a sigh. "We've been through this."

"Yeah, but what if we're wrong?" I contended. "Nobody actually _saw_ the ship that shot us down. Could've been one of ours. I mean, that exit trajectory came from Apex. What if someone on the inside sent us way out of the way so they could shoot us down without riling up the krogan?"  
"He's got a point," Josie agreed. Ozz was still unconvinced.

"Alright, then. Who do you think the mole is?"

I hesitated. I had my theory, and it sure felt right to me, but given my present company, I knew it wouldn't be well-received. Lives were at stake, though. I couldn't chicken out.

"I think it might be Royce."

Josie scoffed. "Oh, of course! That just figures. What are we, _thirteen_?"  
Things between me and Josie had been tense since we got back from Elaaden. Just like I feared, she read way too much into Paladra's tearful, death-grip hug on the tarmac. _"I don't know if you're lying to_ me _, or just to_ yourself _, but there's more than friendship going on with that girl,"_ she had said to me when I tried to explain. _"I don't have time for complicated relationships."_ I didn't want to blow it with Josie, but I wasn't about to reject Paladra - she was my best friend. I did find ways to back out of any cultural exchange dates she came up with - usually blaming my manual labor schedule - but Paladra saw through it, and I think she was hurt. So, things were a little strained there, too.

I really did suspect Royce, and it had nothing to do with Josie, but she wouldn't buy that for a moment.

"Let me explain, Josie-"  
"Fine!" She interrupted, crossing her arms and tilting her head. "Let's hear all the evidence you have against him."

"Look, I don't like this stuff either, but you have to try and see this from every angle. When we went to Havarl, it was Royce who stayed back here - and he was in the loop on everything that was going on. And that return trajectory on Elaaden? That came from his terminal."

"And that makes him guilty?" She asked defensively.

"Well, it sure as hell oughtta make him a suspect! What if the transmission wasn't hacked at all? What if he's the one who set us up? Sent us to a place and had someone else intercept us there?"

"Well, then," she countered, "in the interest of looking at all the options, what about kind, sweethearted little miss Therios, huh? She wormed her way onto your team after she just 'conveniently' showed up from Kadara with a sketchy backstory. She had access to that black box before anyone else did. Maybe she erased it and concocted some sob-story to gain your trust. And - now that I think of it, she was back here, too, while we were on Elaaden. So, yeah - I nominate the asari."

"Good lord, Josie. This isn't about you and me. I was just saying… Leighton has the technical know-how to pull this crap off. I'm trying to look at this objectively."

"Yeah, we'll you're doing a lousy job of it," she snapped back, loud enough to make the background radio static irrelevant.

Ozz was obviously feeling awkward, caught in the middle of a flare-up that was steering our conversation off-course. "Friends, let's, uh, table this for another date. Grissom, I'll give your 'mole' theory another chance - I'll think on it tonight. Shall we get back together in three days? Perhaps we can debate with clearer heads…"

"Fine," Josie conceded. "Guess I'll see you two in the morning for work."

"Josie, wait," I said, as Ozz left.

She turned around at the door. "What?"  
"I swear, this thing about Leighton - it has nothing to do with whatever past you two had. I honestly think someone from the inside is part of this. Hopefully it's not him, but-"

"You have to consider everyone, I know," she interrupted.

"Look, if it really bothers you that much, I'll drop it. I know things are a little off right now, and I don't want to make it worse."

She sighed. "I'm fine. Do your investigating, or whatever. Just… make sure it's more than a theory before you start pointing fingers."

"Fair enough. See you in the morning?"  
"Yeah. Goodnight."

I crashed hard the moment my head hit the pillow, hoping the next day would bring some relief from the blistering grind of my work sentence. It was the last thing that stood in between me and an entire 24 hours off. Instead, my friends and I got to reassemble a bank of wind-powered generators during 40-mph winds. To say it was a frustrating day would be an understatement. Once we finally finished, I headed to the rec center to meet up with Hester and Cho, and take an hour before bed to drink, shoot pool, and try to forget about all the stress in my life. Instead, I just brought the stress with me, and it showed.

By the third easy shot that I missed, Cho knew something was up. "Man, what is going on with you tonight? You need to get another partner. You're killing me here."

"Sorry man," I said, huffing a sigh. "Long, crappy day."

"You've been saying that a lot," Hester said, with one eyebrow raised. "They're really cracking the whip, huh?"

"Yeah. But it's more than that," I replied. "I miss being on the inside, you know? And then there's… ugh, I dunno. _Woman_ issues."

"Still?" Cho asked.

"Still. And I almost forgot, someone's trying to develop bioweapons, and we lost people trying to get to the bottom of it, and we're nowhere close to knowing what's going on. It just feels like everywhere I turn, I'm losing."

"You now what you need, my friend?" Hester asked, putting a firm hand on my shoulder.

"What's that?"  
"You, sir, need to get laid. Won't make your crap any better, but it'll get your mind off it for a while."

I laughed. "Is there ever a time you're not thinking about sex?"  
"Sure," he answered. "Sad, boring times. Wade, have you done the deed even once since you thawed out?"  
"That's not the problem," I said.

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of," he said, with a playfully concerned look on his face. "We've gotta fix that for you, brotato chip. That just ain't right."

"I'm fine, Hester. Just take your shot and let's get back to the game."

"Trust me - I'm an expert, here. I've gotcha covered. I'll pull the strings, and you do yo' thang."

"Haha. Okay, whatever. Let's play."

We went back to playing, and after another hour of getting absolutely thrashed at pool, I gave up, and went back to my apartment. I was so worn out by the time I got to sleep that I completely missed my alarm, and didn't come to until mid-morning, awakened by the sound of knocking on my door.

"Just a minute," I shouted, groaning as I squinted through the vibrant daylight at my clock. I threw a pair of sweat pants on, and stumbled to the door, opening it to find… Paladra.

"Hey there, hunk," she said, with a playful smile. "I was starting to think you weren't going to answer. Aren't you gonna invite me in?"

Something was very… weird about her. "Uh, sure. Right. Come in," I said, suddenly feeling awkward without a shirt on. She shut the door behind us, and followed me back to my bedroom, where I searched through a pile of clothes on the floor for a shirt that didn't smell like sweat and dirt.

"Don't bother," she said, stepping closer and running her cool, silky hands from my chest down to my waist. "You're halfway there as it is…"

 _Whaaaaaaaat in the hell is going on here?_ I thought, as her touch sent tingling shivers all over my body. _Am I dreaming?_ My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, irresistible force throwing me down to the bed on my back, and pinning me there.

"Whoah, Paddy. What are you doing?" I asked through labored breath. Her biotics were pushing on me so powerfully, it was hard to fill my lungs.

"Shh!" She replied, putting her finger to her mouth. "Life has been hard for you, hasn't it? I know what you need, Grissom." She began to slowly, seductively unzip her jacket, exposing a thin, unbroken line of blue from her neck to her waist. Breathing got harder still.

"Um… wow. I, uh…" I sputtered, trying to think of what to say, what to do, and what in the world had gotten into this girl.

"I know," she said, widening the gap in her jacket ever so slightly with an awkwardly put-on smile. "You like that, don't you? Isn't this what you want? What ALL men want?" Her tone took a sharp U-turn, going from sultry and provocative to cold and cutting. The pressure intensified on me, until I was starting to worry I would actually suffocate. Her eyes narrowed, as she moved down, bringing her face to within inches of mine. "I trusted you. I cared for you. And little naive me - I thought you actually felt the same. Well, I have news for you, mister. I'm not some club dancer you rent for the night. I actually have standards, and they're way too high for a hormonal animal like you and your adolescent friends. Consider this 'goodbye.' Good luck finding a girl who's loose enough to give you what you want."

She zipped her jacket back up and stormed out of the room, releasing me from her biotic hold. I jumped off the bed and chased her to the front door, mind absolutely reeling.

"Paddy, wait!" I said, grabbing her shoulder as she opened the door. She spun around and slapped me right across the face, eyes as fierce as fire.

"Don't. Touch. Me," she said, with all the quiet defiance she could muster. She jerked her body away from my grasp, and slammed the door. I just stared at it for what seemed like a long time, not sure of what exactly had just happened.

 _What the hell? 'Hormonal animal?' When have I ever… I've never made any advances on her. What in the world could've given her the impression that - HESTER!_ His words from the previous night replayed in my mind, promising to hook me up, to pull the strings. I was half furious and half sick to my stomach. Whatever he said to her, Paladra was more irate and vindictive than I had seen her in a very long time. _I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna freakin' strangle him to death_.

I got dressed in a rush, and went straight to Hester's apartment, but it was locked. Next, I tried the gym, and found him on the leg press machine.

"Hester! What in the hell did you say to Paladra?"

He grinned and winked, failing to understand how pissed off I was. "So, it worked huh? See - you just needed a little push. You're welcome."

"' _You're welcome?_ ' She nearly suffocated me! It did not work, unless your plan was to convince her to murder me."

He took his leg off the machine, grin gone in an instant. "Oh, damn. My bad."

"Dude, _what did you say_?"

"I told her you couldn't stop talking about how hot she looked, how you wanted to, I don't remember exactly, but something to the effect of, trace every inch of her sweet blue body with your lips, show her a night like she wouldn't believe… you know, crap like that."

My anger started to be overshadowed by the growing knot in my stomach. Imagining her hearing the sort of lewd things that could come out of this man's mouth… and believing they came from me…

"You idiot! I actually care about this girl. I don't want a one night stand with her! Holy crap, bro. What were you thinking?"  
"Dude, relax, okay? I'm sorry. I figured you wanted to bang her, but, y'know, you were just kinda nervous to ask. Chicks respond to confidence. I thought I was helping. Honest."

I stroked my forehead, trying to ward off a headache that was starting to set in. I still wanted very much to choke the very life out of him, but even more, I wanted to find Paladra and set the record straight as soon as possible.

"Good lord, this is bad," I said. "I've gotta find her and explain all this. I need you to vouch for me that this was your idea. Tell her it was a prank gone wrong, or something. Promise me-"

"Sure, sure, bro. Scout's honor."

I left him to his workout, and started searching for Paladra. I zigzagged across Prodromos for hours, too sick to eat lunch. I finally found her, sitting, arms folded on her knees, at the top of the north crest, looking out across the whole valley.

"I don't want to _talk_ to you, I don't want to _see_ you," she said as I approached. "Please, just go away."

"Paladra, you have to let me explain," I pleaded, stopping about six feet from her. "Please…"

"Explain what? How you toss me to the side out of nowhere, become a ghost for weeks, and then expect me to be your booty call?"

"Listen, I don't know what Hester said to you last night, but I did not say any of those things to him. Paladra, I have tons of respect for you, and your morals. I would never… … ugh! don't you know me better than that?"

"I _thought_ I did," she replied, looking back at the valley.

"You do. You _do_ know me. Look, Hester was trying to 'hook me up' because life is kicking me in the butt right now. I told him 'no,' but you know Hester. Think about it - whatever he said to you - did it sound like something from his vocabulary, or mine?"

She didn't respond. I continued.

"You're a beautiful woman, but you're so much more than that. I know that. I can see that. I'm not sure that he can. He thought he was _helping_. Dear lord, Paladra, you've _gotta_ believe me. I'm literally sick over the thought of you hearing that and thinking it came from me."

"It was disgusting," she said quietly, still staring at the valley. "And insulting."

"C'mon, you know him, too. Surely you realize it…"

She looked at me, squinting at the light behind me. "You really had nothing to do with that?"

"I promise you."

She thought about it for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders. "Okay."

"Can I sit with you?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said, her body language still very closed-off. I had expected things to ease up a bit more once I was off the hook for the whole 'booty call' incident, but she was still upset about something.

"Are we good?" I asked, almost shaky with worry. I could not lose her friendship over this.

She looked at me with studying, intense eyes. "No, we're not."

I sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about-"

"It's not just that," she interrupted. "Grissom, we said that we were friends, that we didn't want anything to change that-"

"It didn't!" I interrupted back. "It didn't change."

"It did. Hearing Hester's words, it didn't just upset me. It sort-of… loosened a lot of thoughts that were already in my mind. Ever since you came back from Elaaden, you've been… distant. We barely talk. You hardly… hardly even look at me…" I could hear the emotion in her voice, and see a gathering storm in her eyes. "I cried so many tears when I thought I lost you on that shuttle… and then you came back, but it's like… it's like I lost you anyway. And I feel so, _so alone_ …"

My thoughts flipped from worry back to the knot in my stomach, along with a side-serving of guilt. I'd been so concerned about how my actions looked to Josie that I'd completely ignored how they looked to Paladra - and I cared deeply for her, too.

"Oh, Paddy…"

"What changed?" She asked, voice broken up with emotion. "Was it something I did? Said? Was it… was it _her_?"

I wanted to lie, but in the moment, I couldn't think of anything but the truth. Besides, she deserved it.

"When we were stranded on Elaaden, and I thought I was gonna die, Josie and I… we sort-of opened up, talked through some of the issues and hurts we'd both had. I thought, maybe… maybe I should…" It was so hard to just say it to her face. I struggled to make my mouth work. "I thought I should give it another try with her, 'cause… I do care for her."

"I see," she said softly, sniffing as tears threatened to overflow her pretty golden eyes.

"So, yes. It was me. I tried to put some distance between you and me, 'cause she was jealous of how close we were. I did that to you… to myself. But Paladra… I'm _dying_ here. I miss you - I miss our talks about hair, and… seafood, and classic vids… I miss things being comfortable, and just being able to relax around someone and know I don't have to be anything but myself. I miss your accent, and you getting stumped on the right words… I miss _you_. I'm so sorry."

She leaned in, and I met her in the middle, closing my eyes as she touched her forehead to mine.

"I miss you, too," she said quietly. "So much. _So much_."

I placed my hand gently on the back of her head, keeping ours together.

"Can we just go back to where we were before?" I asked. She nodded.

I let go of her after a few minutes, and just sat with her, shoulder to shoulder. After a while, she spoke up. "You know, this is going to sound crazy, but… as angry as I was when I was in your apartment - which, by the way, I am… really sorry!"

"No problem," I said.

"We're going to forget that entire incident, right?"

"Oh yes." _Except maybe the thin blue line part. Can't say I didn't enjoy that._

"Anyway, as angry as I was, I had a revelation when I touched your chest."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Ever since coming here - to Andromeda - I've hardly had any real touch, skin to skin, at all. It may be different for you, but for an asari, that's like… like not seeing sunlight for a year. I didn't realize how much I missed that."

"Okay, wait-wait-wait," I said, chuckling and turning to look at her with a playful grin. "So what you're telling me is, you have a _need_ that you want my body to fill? Oh, you adolescent, hormonal animal!"

She laughed. "Not like that. You make it sound so bad! But seriously… could you, um, hold my hand for a bit? It sounds silly, I know, but-"

"It's not silly at all," I said, lacing my fingers in between hers and squeezing gently. "Is that better?"

She breathed in deeply, and out again. "Yes."

Her skin was impossibly smooth, and even with the blisters on mine, there was an undeniable comfort to her touch. She stroked my hand with her thumb, leaning her body weight a little more against me, as we watched the people in the valley below, moving around like worker ants. Eventually, she noticed the blisters on my hand, releasing her grip and holding it open to take a look.

"Oh, my - your poor hands!" She said, gently tracing the borders of my wound with her finger. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean for it to hurt you!"

I turned my hand over and grabbed hers, putting my fingers back between hers. "It's nothing. Your touch is… soothing."

She smiled shyly, putting other hand over mine and caressing it gently. "They really have been working you hard…"

"I had it coming."

"You did a good thing, and you're getting punished for it."

"Maybe. The Commander doesn't see it that way."

"Well, I do," she said.

"Sorry my hands are in such rough shape."

"Warm, strong… they're perfect. However…"

"What?"

She looked uncomfortably at me, biting her lower lip slightly. "Could I, uh… touch your lips?"

It was an odd request, but that face was hard to say 'no' to.

"Okay…" I replied.

In a smooth motion that happened before I realized what was going on, she moved her face forward, pressing her supple, dark blue lips to mine. Not what I was expecting, but not at all unpleasant. Not at all. She pulled away after a brief moment, taking my lower lip with her just slightly before releasing me. Her mouth said nothing - it didn't need to. I could read it in her eyes. 'I want this,' they said to me. 'I want you. Is that okay? Do you feel the same?'

My heart began to race, as the world slowed down, melting away outside those eyes. What did I want? She laid her cards out on the table - it was my call now…


	16. More than Friends

Those golden eyes studied mine, nervous with anticipation, as both our pulses and breathing increased. There was something so comfortable in them, so at-home. Something I couldn't deny any longer.

"Is that the um… the kind of touch that friends would normally do?" I asked. "For asari?"

She shook her head, as a hint of a hopeful smile colored her expression. "No."

"Well then… why did you stop?" I took her head in my hands, and brought her in, tasting her magnetic lips again. There was something faintly sweet to her kiss, like a sweet roll with just a hint of honey. My right hand moved to trace the lines of her crest, as she unzipped my shirt, sweeping her silky hands across my back. I pulled her body next to mine, as our lips moved delicately against one another. There was passion in her motions, but not the frenetic, urgent kind. Each kiss or caress had a calm and gentle quality to it - something I liked very much. She moved her hands down my abdomen, gingerly tracing the waistband of my pants before pulling her head away to look at me.

"I don't intend to be… physically, um… intimate with you - in a human way," she said, almost apologetically. I understand that your God disapproves of… um… of fornication."

"Whoa - word points for Paladra," I said with a surprised smile.

"I've been reading up on your religious documents, and I… really do respect your desire to adhere to the morals."

I wasn't sure I wanted to adhere to them, at the moment, but it meant a lot that she did.

"Besides that," she continued, "I don't want to share something that… intimate with anyone that I'm not committed to… for life. So, I guess your God and I agree on that point."

"Wow. That's… yeah, okay. I'm with you."

"I hope that's alright…"

"Of course."

"But… I would very much like to continue kissing you. Since… I think that's okay."

"Oh, it is," I said, pulling her back to me. We kissed until the sun started setting over the other side of the valley. She moved to sit in front of me, leaning her head against my chest as we watched the blue sky turn to a vibrant gradient of reds, oranges and pinks. I stroked her forehead gently, running my fingers slowly across the distance of her sweeping curves.

"M'natha se," she whispered near the last light, quietly enough that she didn't expect me to hear it. We never had translators on anymore when we talked, but I recognized the language.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What?"

"What you said - ' _manatha say_ ,' - that's Attena, right? What does it mean?"

She sighed blissfully. "Oh, nothing."

I didn't know what it meant, but I had an idea, and it wasn't 'nothing.' I didn't want to push it, though. It was a perfect moment. I wouldn't let anything interrupt it… except for my radio.

"Alert, alert," the female voice chirped over the receiver, after a series of warning tones, "this is a priority one urgent memo. All Apex personnel, _active and inactive_ , report to the shuttle bay for immediate departure…."

The message repeated, as I huffed a frustrated sigh. "You have got to be kidding me."

"We should go," Paladra said, sitting up. "It sounds serious."

"Yeah, you're right. Hell, Brooke would be proud. I had my radio with me for once."

She smiled and chuckled. "Could we… pick up on this another time? Soon?"

"Oh yes," I replied, kissing her forehead softly. "Most definitely."


	17. Back to Kadara

I could see the urgency on my teammates' faces as soon as I stepped onto the landing pad - whatever was going on, it was big.

"What's happening?" I asked Cho, a little winded from my jog down the hillside.

"Don't know yet," he answered. "but we're headed to Kadara. Leaving in five minutes… where _were_ you two?"

"Just, uh… catching the sunset," I answered, more nervous than I should've been. I didn't care if Cho knew Paladra and I had been hanging out, but Josie… she eyed the two of us, brows creasing together before she looked away. It killed me. _Damnit, Wade! What is_ wrong _with you?_ I chided myself. _Who cares what she thinks? … … I do._ I _care what she thinks. Crap! What the hell's wrong with me? Gah! Stupid boy…_

"The view is really nice from the top of the ridge," Paladra added.

"… I'm sure it is," he replied, skepticism all over his expression. "You'd better gear up. Taylor wants us all onboard."

"Wait - me too?" I asked, surprised.

"Sounds that way. Welcome back from suspension."

Paladra and I rushed to the armory, and returned, armed and suited up, just in time.

"Alright, that's everyone," Keelan said, head bobbing slightly as he did a silent count to make sure his whole team was accounted for. "Board up. I'll brief you on the way."

The shuttle was cramped, as nine members - including a krogan - squeezed into the 6-passenger crew cabin, pressed against each other as we ascended through the atmosphere and made the jump to FTL. Once we were cruising, Keelan wormed his way to the middle of the crowd to fill us in on our mission.

"Alright, listen up, everyone. We've got a serious problem on our hands. Yesterday, a data drive was stolen from the Nexus by a defector - possibly working alone, but likely with connections on the station. This drive contains sensitive information that could put the entire station at risk, and it's our job to get it back. We intercepted part of a transmission about a sale that's going down on Kadara in the next few hours. We don't know who the buyer is - there may be _multiple_ buyers - but we know the exchange is happening somewhere in the Castle Bowl region. We're going to prevent that sale from going through, secure the drive, and find out who these buyers are. Alpha and Delta teams are already en route; we'll rendezvous with them on site. I don't need to remind you that Kadara is hostile territory. We'll be seventy miles from the Port, which will put our shuttle - and your asses - squarely in Sloan Kelly's crosshairs, so stay sharp. Shoot first, ask questions later."

He tapped his datapad, pulling up a map of the large, roundish valley known as the Castle Bowl. We peered over each others' shoulders as he continued the briefing.

"Castle Bowl has been a very popular meeting location for thugs, gangs, and terrorists recently, mostly because it's hard to track anything in there. Whole area's a freakin' tangle of caves and tunnels left over from an active volcano. To make matters worse, there's some kind of remnant tech buried deep in the mountain that's wreaking havoc on any comm signals going in or out. We can't get accurate body heat or magnetic scans from topside - we're gonna have to track these punks the old-fashioned way. We'll split and do three drops at different entrances. Walsh, Brann, Hester - you're drop team one. Royce, Wade - you two are with me. We'll be drop team two. Cho, Medrilo, Therios - you're team three. Search the tunnels, kill hostiles, get that drive back. This mission comes straight from Tann's office. We fail, the whole freakin' Initiative's at risk, so _we will not fail_. Questions?"

"What's on the drive that's so important?" Ozz asked. Hearing Tann's name no doubt had his curiosity piqued.

"That's classified," Keelan answered, predictably.

"Okay, so what do we do with it once it's secured?" Josie asked.

"You get it the hell outta the caves and onto this shuttle," Keelan said. "And we deliver it back to the Nexus. Any other questions? … alright, buckle up, y'all. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Keelan moved up to the cockpit, leaving me to my thoughts. I could see the uneasy feeling all over Ozz's face. He was thinking the same thing I was - whatever grand scheme was going on, this was part of it. It had to be. Defectors with connections on the Nexus sounded way too familiar, having heard his story. Josie had the same sick look on her face - the kind of worry you don't really want to have before running fully armed into a maze of caves filled with hostiles. I wanted so much to pull the two of them together and talk these worries out, but I knew I couldn't - not in present company.

Ozz and Josie didn't want to believe it, but I was still convinced there was a mole in Apex, and my gut still told me not to trust Royce. Once again, it was _convenient_ that he was here with us onboard - and just happened to be on the drop team with our commander. It would be all too easy to alert the seller or buyer to our presence once we landed, or sabotage the operation in a hundred other ways. Of course, like Josie said, I didn't actually have proof, but sitting next to him, it didn't feel like I needed any. I didn't trust him. I was sure of that much.

Nobody said much on the way - we were all too deep in thought. I thought about the mission. I thought about my reinstatement to the team, about the mole, about the web of tunnels I was about to run headfirst into… but more than any of that, I thought about Josie and Paladra. They were situated on opposite ends of the bench across from me, almost like they'd been placed there to reflect our relationships. Close, but just out of reach… and mutually exclusive. The kiss with Paladra was unexpected, but I couldn't deny, it brought an irresistible smile to my face every time I thought of it. We were definitely out of the friend zone, and the way she talked about sex, I had the feeling she didn't want to be friends-with-benefits. She was thinking long-term about 'us.'

I considered myself to be an open-minded individual, and we were a long, long way from earth, but still - I never imagined myself kissing an alien, much less… starting to fall for one. She was adorable, though, with her graceful movements and her accent, and that voice… she was nothing like the asari stereotypes I was fed when I was growing up. Paladra was kind, and intelligent, and she clearly cared about me. Any sane person would be satisfied with kissing her. Hell, any sane person would be thrilled at the thought of a serious relationship with her. I wasn't any sane person, though.

No matter how long we'd gone without seeing each other, or talking to each other, no matter who was kissing who, I'd never been able to fully get Josie off my mind. Not that I tried. I never _wanted_ Josie off my mind. She certainly wasn't as easy - or safe - as Paladra, but there was something about her that drew out a different side in me. Confident, flirty, funny. Being around Josie reminded me of everything great about being human, about home, and family, hurt and resilience and grit. She and I had a different bond - a vulnerable, emotionally intimate, I-know-your-secrets-and-respect-you-more-for-them kind of thing. Plus, she was so beautiful it made my eyes hurt. I wanted her the first moment I saw her, and after getting to know her, I wanted her all the more. The disappointment and hurt in her eyes when she saw me show up at the shuttle with Paladra… it burned a hole right through my soul. And yet, the thought of losing my friends/lovers/whatever relationship with Paladra made me feel like vomiting, and snot-nosed crying, and then vomiting some more. I was all kinds of messed up - just the state of mind you'd want for the most pivotal mission of my Apex career. I shut my eyes, and pushed all things 'romance' into a mental box, locking them away for the time being. Job one was to get this data drive back, and get everyone out alive. I'd have time to sort out who to hitch my heart to another time.

In no time, we were dropping from orbit, back into the alien-looking airspace of the exiles. Wind rushed in through the shuttle door, as the pilot pulled team one in close for deployment. Diplomatic relations had deteriorated since my last visit to Kadara - despite the best efforts of Scott Ryder and his team - to the point where any initiative craft was shot on sight. Our pilot got us past the gun batteries around the port, but landing was too risky. Team one gathered at the door, waiting for the call to jump. My heart lurched inside of me. The thought of Josie and Paladra, both in harm's way, and out of my protection…

"Josie!" I said, catching her attention before she jumped. Her eyes locked with mine, softening to an expression somewhere between longing and worry, but colored with just a hint of a smile. Wispy strands of hair danced around her face, backlit by the bright, high noon sunlight. God, she was pretty. "Be safe."  
She nodded. "You too, Grissom."

The call came. She, Brann and Hester jumped, and Keelan and Royce moved toward the door, as the shuttle banked to the left, heading to the next drop point. Paladra grabbed my hand as I got up to go, pulling me in for a brief, firm hug. "I'll see you back here soon," she said, pulling away with concerned eyes that betrayed the hopefulness of her words. I had a fleeting, horrifying thought that it might be the last time I ever saw that beautiful face. There were a thousand meaningful, romantic things I wanted to say, but they were all locked inside that mental box I'd built, and if I opened the lid, there wouldn't be any chance of closing it again. I didn't want to let go of her, didn't want to jump, but duty called. I stepped to the door, felt the rush of hot, humid air against my face, and followed Keelan and Royce to the steep slope below.

The brittle, rocky soil crunched under my boots as my jump-jets brought me down safely. I smelled the familiar sulphuric stink of the badlands in the air. _Ugh! Kadara. Here we go again._

Keelan pulled us together, about 50 yards from the cave entrance. "Alright, listen up. Alpha's already in there, so don't get too trigger-happy. Comms are sketchy at best, and I don't know where they are inside, but their shuttles are back in orbit, so they're in there somewhere. Royce - stay tight on my six. If we run across hostiles, I want you to put that fancy tech armor to use. Get a field around me and Wade. We'll handle the killing. Wade, you've got a valkyrie on you?"

"And a pistol."

"Keep it at the ready. Okay, let's get in there."

We crept into the cave, light-stepping, but just short of a jog, with guns drawn. The tunnel was narrow - no more than 4 feet across in places, and after a sharp downward angle, the only light at all was from our suit-based flashlights. The smell of sulphur was thicker the farther in we went, but the heat fell off sharply in the damp, stale air. Keelan led us through a series of forks, making a mental note of our route, before stopping suddenly with his hand up.

"Shh! Hear that?" He whispered.

I tilted my head, and heard the unmistakable rhythm of automatic gunfire echoing through the stone hallway ahead of us.

"Gunfire," I confirmed.

"Double-time!" he said, taking off in a run. Royce and I followed as closely as we could, but the tech armor he wore, along with a backpack loaded with extra equipment, kept him behind. That, plus the physical conditioning expected from a tech officer was not up to the standard that highly-trained soldiers like Keelan had.

"Come on, Royce! Move your ass!" I grunted, running right behind him. I would've passed him and caught up to Keelan, but I wasn't about to turn my back on him. Something still didn't add up about all our missions lately.

The gunfire sounds got louder quickly, mixed with human shouts. A few more turns and forks in the tunnels, and we came out to a huge domed room, illuminated by muzzle flares like a scattering of disorganized strobe lights. At first, there was no way to know who was who, but Keelan spotted one of ours.

"There - that's Alpha Team. Get in there and help!"

We rushed in and worked to flank the hostiles. Alpha was severely outnumbered, and at least two of them were slumped in a pool of their own blood, clustered behind a small rock formation. Royce and I circled around the right edge of the room, while Keelan took the left, charging across the span in an instant with biotics. I felt my suit deflect a bullet, and I rolled behind cover, lobbing a grenade at a pair of hostiles who were barricaded behind a cluster of stalagmites. The concussion sent rock shrapnel flying, and incapacitated both of them. I moved in quickly and put a few rounds in their heads, just to be sure. Keelan was devastating their ranks, removing heads from bodies, while Royce and I cleaned up the rest. Four action-packed minutes later, all the hostiles were down. The survivors met in the middle of the room to assess the situation.

"Thanks for the help," a man said, leaving cover to join us. He was tall, pale-skinned with dark black hair in a short buzz. "Ian Cernik, Alpha leader." He extended his hand to me. I shook it, noticing the red stain on his torso.

"You're hit. Is it bad?" I asked.

"Suit's already cauterized it," he said dismissively. "I'll live. Where's the rest of your team?"

"We split into three groups," Keelan answered. "The others took different entrances."

"Damn. We're in over our head here, gentlemen. You two-" he gestured toward me and Royce, "watch the entrances. There's one across from where you entered. Taylor, help me find my tech guy - Roscoe. The drive should be on his body."

"Wait - you found it?" Keelan asked.

"Got here right as the sale was going down," Cernik said. "Couple of Nexus bastards selling to one of the Kadara gang factions."

"Are they acting for Sloan Kelley?" I asked.

"Not sure," Cernik replied, turning to face me. "I need those exits covered now."

"I nodded, and headed to the opposite side of the room, as he and Keelan conversed and searched for bodies. I listened closely when I got to the opening, but everything was quiet, other than the indiscernible mumble of Keelan and Cernik's dialogue. We were safe for the moment.

Keelan called me over once they found the drive - a sleek black stick about the size of my little finger. "Good job, crew. The drive is secured. Royce, can you use any of that thirty pounds of crap to get a signal out of here to the shuttle?"

"I can try again, but I doubt it," he replied.

"Well, _try again_ ," Keelan said, sounding irritated. "We need to get this thing out asap."

"Scratch that," Cernik interjected. "You're a comm officer?"

"Yes sir," Royce answered.

"This data is too hot to leave intact. My tech guy was trying to wipe it when we were ambushed by the second group of hostiles. Do you have the ability to decrypt this and wipe it?"

"If he could, I can," Royce answered.

"Wait - you're gonna wipe it _here_?" Keelan asked. "Shouldn't we at least get it back to the Nexus? We might be able to get info on who stole this."

"No, I want it wiped here," Cernik asserted. "It's my call." He handed the drive to Royce.

"Says who?" Keelan challenged.

"Says Kandros," Cernik answered. "This is _my_ operation. You're assisting. We're wiping the drive. End of discussion."

"Fine," Keelan said, disgruntled. "But at least do it someplace where we're not so exposed."

"Fair enough," Cernik replied. We moved down the tunnel on the far side of the room, winding through a narrow passage and taking a few turns before we stopped to work on the drive. The thought occurred to me, as I watched Royce tapping on his omni-tool: I didn't actually _see_ any of Cernik's men go down. All I really knew that he was somehow first on the scene, and first to find the drive. On top of that, he was in a hurry to erase whatever data was on there - including any evidence about who might've been involved in stealing it in the first place. Cernik - who was stationed on the Nexus, who would've been in the know with all sorts of Apex operations, who had high-level security access to restricted areas as the Alpha Team leader…

"We should be safe enough here," Cernik said. "How long will it take you to get this done?"

Royce resumed his work, typing rapidly on his omni-tool. "Your guy only got… well, a really small part of it decrypted. It'll take me more than a few minutes to get through the security on it. I'm not sure we should really take the time to do it here… If you let me work on it on the shuttle-"

"Negative. We need it out of commission," Cernik interrupted. "Can we just shoot it? Break it in half?"

"Even that would leave portions of it recoverable," Royce answered, still typing, "and it would make the process of wiping it that much harder. If you want it done right, let me do it my way."

Cernik sighed. "Alright, get to it, then."

"Cernik, are you _sure_ this is the way?" Keelan asked. "There's something bigger going on here, and this may be our only lead. You didn't exactly leave anyone alive to interrogate…"

"What exactly are you insinuating?" He retorted, stepping closer.

"I'm saying, you seem like you're in a hurry to wipe that thing," Keelan said, "and I'm wondering why."

Royce's omni-tool kept flashing, as it ran its decryption program on the drive. I had second thoughts about Cernik as the mole, and shifted my concern back to Royce. Destroying the drive seemed to me like the best way to go, but he was insistent that we let _him_ handle the data. None of us had the tech knowledge that he did. What if he was copying the data to his omni-tool before wiping it? What if Alpha was ambushed by a second strike team because he tipped the enemy off? We took his word for it when he said we couldn't communicate with the shuttle, but we had no way to verify that, or anything else he said. For all we knew, he was signaling another group of assassins to take us out and retrieve the drive.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere," Royce said, too engrossed in his task to realize the standoff happening between the two commanders.

"Royce, listen," Keelan pleaded, "get it unlocked, and then let's just take five minutes to see if we can get any leads from it…"

"Belay that order," Cernik overruled firmly, stepping between Keelan and Royce. "I want that record gone the moment it's unlocked."

He peered over Royce's shoulder, watching the status update on his omni tool as it slowly worked block by block to undo the encryption on the drive. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, unsure of who to trust, who to suspect. My hand instinctively rested on the grip of my pistol, ready to act, should the need arise. I was with Keelan on this much - stopping in the middle of a cave to work on the drive didn't make tactical sense. I flashed a light down the tunnel ahead of us, listening again for sounds of reinforcements, friendly or hostile, but there was nothing - no sound at all other than the 4 pairs of lungs inhaling and exhaling the stale, dank air.

What happened next took place so quickly, it was done before I could process it enough to respond. The moment I turned off my light, Cernik's breath turned to a gurgle, as a metallic blade plunged suddenly through the middle of his neck. Before his knees had even buckled, three flashes in the background produced corresponding bright red holes through Royce's chest. I pulled my pistol out, unsure of who to aim it at, and was immediately thrown against the cold wall of the tunnel, pinned there just off the ground by an immense biotic force. Everything went quiet again, except for the soft thudding of boots on the smooth, stony floor, the rustle of creasing fabric as a body stooped down to take the data drive from Royce's motionless fingers, and a long, exasperated sigh. My thoughts turned inside out on one another, trapped in a state of mental vertigo, as I struggled to make sense of what my eyes were seeing. I knew there was a mole - I was right about that much - but it wasn't Cernik or Royce. As hard as it was to believe, the truth was right there, literally staring me in the face. All the courage and fight drained out of me as I gawked in bewildered disbelief at the features I knew so well.

Keelan. The mole was Keelan.


	18. Betrayal

"Damn. I didn't wanna have to do that," Keelan said cooly, sliding the drive into one of his ammo pouches and wiping the blood off his blade. His biotic force wavered just enough to let me slide an inch down the wall, but stiffened back up quickly, squeezing my chest like a shuttle takeoff.

"I don't understand," I said, eying my pistol on the floor. He picked it up and placed it on an extra mag-holster on his back. "What in the hell…"

"Just following orders," he replied. "Couldn't let'em wipe that drive."

"Orders? Whose orders?"

"Someone who's looking out for humanity's best interests."

"Humanity's… what - like _Cerberus_?"

He didn't reply. My confusion turned to fury.

"You son of a bitch! You're with Cerberus?!"

"Keep an open mind," he replied, smiling through clenched teeth, as the pressure on me increased, "or I'll have to open it for you."

I looked at the team members he'd already murdered. Cernik was a goner: eyes wide open, with a face frozen in the confusion of his last breath. Royce's chest moved slightly, drawing intermittent breaths as his body lay motionless in shock. His armor's emergency response system had sealed the entry and exit wounds, but it could do nothing to fix the internal injuries he'd sustained. It was probably stimulating his lungs and heart to keep going, but without medical assistance, he'd be dead before long.

"If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with," I growled, writhing in the grip of his power.

"See, Wade, that's why I vouched for you," he said. "You're a fighter. Command wanted you dead. They told me to eliminate everyone down here, but they don't know you like I do. You're a damn good soldier. We need men like you."

My blood boiled. I trusted this guy. Looked up to him. Covered his back in more firefights than I could count. To hear him talking like a Cerberus recruiter…

"Cerberus, Keelan? Cerberus? They killed my brother, man. How could you… how long have you been killing for them?"

"It's not like that anymore," he said, letting me slip down the wall a little. "The thing on Akuze, that was a mistake. Everyone knows that. It's evolved since then. That's why I joined. That's why I talked you and Grady into coming out here."

"You brought me out here to recruit me to freaking Cerberus?"

"I brought you out here to make humanity better. The Milky Way's gone, Wade. You know that. This is our only shot as a species. We've gotta work together."

"By stabbing each other in the back? No thanks."

I looked at Royce again. His chest was still moving… and so were his hands. Behind Keelan's back, I could see him doing something on his omni-tool. _What's he doing?_ I wondered, looking away so I wouldn't draw Keelan's attention to him. _Is he sending an S.O.S.? Trying to access the drive wirelessly?_ Whatever it was, I needed to give him as much time as I could to get it done.

"Don't let your emotions make you stupid, Wade," he said, glancing at his omni-tool. "You join up with us, or as much as I like you, I'll have to kill you."

"Alright, say I join," I said, trying to stall. "What's the end goal? Why steal the data?"

"Do I look like a Bond villain to you?" He asked, smiling and shaking his head. "Join first, then you get the details."

"Okay, then give me the overview," I countered.

He sighed, annoyed. "Fine, Wade. You want big picture? We're gonna use this new galaxy reset to put humanity on top, where we belong. We've got people all over the place. We've got our own comms, our own weapons, stuff that nobody else knows about. Good enough for you?"

"Your own comms?"

He bared his teeth, reaching out his hand to press me against the wall with so much force, I could hardly breathe. "Quit stalling, Wade. Cleanup team is already on the way. If I don't get out with this drive soon, they're gonna go with plan B and kill everyone - Echo, Delta, Alpha. Time's up. You in, or are you gonna make me choke your ass?"

I glanced back at Royce - he was still typing. Time was up, though.

"Okay, you win," I choked out. "Just… tell me what-"

All of a sudden, everything went black. And I mean, truly, light-free black. The biotic field dropped me on the ground, as a deafening hiss screamed through my in-ear comm. I yanked it out, gasping for air, and started groping in the dark for anything I could use as a weapon. The odds were even now, thanks to Royce. He didn't send an S.O.S., he used his suit's scuttle EMP - a failsafe built into tech armor to wipe it out, along with any other electronics in the area, to keep it from falling into enemy hands. The problem was, it also knocked out the life-preserving measures which were keeping his lungs going.

I fumbled through the darkness toward the sound of his wheezing, wanting to help, but fully aware he was a lost cause.

"Stop him," he said unevenly. "Flashlight… in… mmm…"

"In what?" I asked, reaching him at last. Keelan was already long gone, and with a "cleanup" team on the way, I needed some kind of light source to find my way out of this maze.

He mumbled incoherently, drawing one last breath, and then went still. There was no time for grief - I took my gloves off and started searching his body for a flashlight. The first place I looked was his backpack, which turned out to be a good guess. My fingers settled on a smooth cylinder, and after clicking a button, blinding light came shooting out of one end of it. I searched feverishly through his pack for anything else not deactivated by the EMP, and found a flare gun and a few tubes of medi-gel. Without my suit's active shielding, I was one bullet away from joining Royce on the floor. At least medi-gel would give me a chance to seal a wound or two.

Light in hand, I took off at top speed in the direction I thought I'd heard Keelan run. The hallway gradually opened into a larger chamber, taking some sharp turns and upward climbs, before it narrowed down again. I climbed through a few narrow passages, and got back to my feet, running again. Up and up I ran, sloshing through water and weaving around stalactites and stalagmites, until I came to a fork in the path. I stopped for a moment to listen, and in the distance down one side, I could hear what sounded like the scuffling of feet reverberating through the stone hall. I charged down that path a hundred yards or so, and listened again - this time the sound was clear enough to hear a few sets of footsteps, growing stronger. I didn't know whether it was an Apex team, the Cerberus cleanup team, or just another Kadara gang, but they were coming my direction

I immediately shut off my light and drew my weapon - but it didn't activate. _Stupid boy!_ I scolded myself. _EMP, remember?_ I returned my rifle to my back, and clutched onto the handle of the flare gun. It wouldn't do much damage, but in the dark, it could provide enough of a distraction for me to wrestle a functional gun out of the hands of an enemy and shoot him with it. At least, that was what I told myself to keep from giving up hope.

I found an alcove in the wall and waited in silence, stilling my breath as the sounds of footsteps grew gradually louder. My mind started playing tricks on me in the nervous anticipation, confusing my sense of direction in the total black. It felt like the room was spinning, walls pulsing in and out around me. "Keep it together, Wade," I muttered to myself, running my fingers along the wall behind me to regain my bearings. The sounds were close now - I strained to listen, and caught two voices speaking. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but one sounded like an asari, and the other was definitely salarian. They were my guys!

"Ozz! Paladra!" I yelled, relieved and elated. "Over here, y'all!" I turned my light back on and moved in their direction. In no time at all, I rounded a corner, and saw drop team 3 - Ozz, Paladra and Cho.

"Grissom!" Paladra exclaimed in relief, hugging me immediately.

"Where are Royce and the Commander?" Cho asked. "We got the S.O.S…."

 _That sneaky bastard. He sent an S.O.S._ and _armed the EMP. Man, I was wrong about that guy_.

"Royce is dead," I replied, "And Taylor shot him. He betrayed us. Killed the Alpha leader and took the drive."

"Goddess!" Paladra gasped.

"What in the hell?" Cho said.

"The three of us found Alpha Team in a firefight with a bunch of Kadara gang members. We helped end the fight, but only Alpha's leader survived. They had intercepted the sale - they got the drive, and their tech guy started decrypting the drive, but they got ambushed. Alpha's leader asked Royce to finish decrypting, and while they were distracted working on that, Taylor killed them both. The only reason I survived was because he wanted to recruit me."

"For what?" Paladra asked.

"For Cerberus. Taylor was the mole. The whole time," I said, mostly to Ozz. "He's working for Cerberus - a whole bunch of 'em are inside the Initiative, trying to do God-knows-what."

"Of course!" Ozz exclaimed. "Connections on the Nexus. Sabotaging our investigations… Clau's chaos! Our own commander…"

"Did you see or hear anything this direction?" I asked, desperate for a lead. "Royce fired off his suit's EMP, saved me from Taylor, but killed the lights. Taylor ran - I thought I was following him…"

"Nothing here, bro," Cho said. "You must've gone the wrong way."

"Damn!" I grunted, kicking the wall. "He's got a whole backup team inbound to collect him and clean up evidence of his involvement. It would've been noisy. You didn't hear anything?"

"Nope. Sorry," Cho answered.

I sighed heavily. "Then it's too late to catch him."

"Perhaps," Ozz said, formulating a theory as he spoke, "but it may not be too late to retrieve the data. You said Alpha's tech specialist started decrypting the drive before he was… interrupted?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, in order to do that, he would've had to clone the data onto his omni-tool first. Which means-"

"We can recover the drive if we can get back to him," I interrupted.

"Exactly. Royce's would've been destroyed in the EMP, but if we get this other omni-tool - assuming it wasn't damaged in the fighting - perhaps we can get that data, and find some clues as to who was involved. Could you retrace your steps back to that point?"

"Yeah, I think so," I answered.

"But what about the team that's coming to collect Command- um… Taylor?" Paladra countered. "If they're already here, they could already have taken the omni-tool, and we'd be walking into an ambush."

"Or, he could've been bluffing," Ozz said. "Maybe Taylor was working alone, and he wanted to persuade you to join him rather than fight him."  
"We can't take that chance," Paladra fired back passionately. "We'd be outnumbered. Grissom's suit had no defense."  
"So we'll protect him," Ozz rebutted. "That data is our only lead on who's behind all this. If we fail to retrieve that, Royce died for nothing."  
"Royce died to save Grissom," Paladra said. "The only way that's for nothing is if we stay and get killed. We need to leave - go back the way we came, and get safe."

"And leave the entire Initiative in danger?" Ozz asked. "Not on my watch!"

"I'm the ranking officer now," I asserted. "It's my call."

"You're right," Ozz said. "And you know this is what we need to do. The mission must come first. Royce would've wanted that. Besides, if there's a cleanup group at all, we're likely to encounter them, whether we run away or not. We can't let this opportunity slip through our fingers. Thousands of lives are depending on us."

Paladra grabbed my hands. "Grissom, please," she said, fear in her moistening eyes. "We've already lost one team member. We can't protect you… and I know you. You won't protect yourself. We'll find another way to get to the bottom of all this. I'll help you look and dig, I swear… but the data won't help us if you don't make it out alive." Her hands were quivering, cold against mine. "Please… we need to get out of here before it's too late."

All eyes looked to me. I knew in my gut what I should do - I just hoped I could live with the consequences. I looked my squad in the eyes and delivered my first orders as acting commander.


	19. The Mission

"We didn't come all this way to go back empty-handed," I said. "Guns up - we're going back for that data."

Ozz nodded in agreement. Cho pressed his lips together and squared his jaw. Paladra's pleading eyes cut through me - I had to look away. I hated putting any of the team in harm's way, but we had a mission, with thousands of lives depending on us. I wasn't about to quit because it was too hard - or too dangerous.

Cho insisted on running at the head of our group to protect me, while Ozz and Paladra pressed in close behind, and we set out to backtrack our way to the big dome. The return trip seemed much shorter - like the second time you drive to someplace unfamiliar - and after a few pauses at forks to double-check our route, we reached the room. Bodies were still strewn across the large cavern - more than I remembered having seen before. From the looks of it, no one else had been there since I left. I took a moment to plunder the fallen bodies of our enemies to find a gun that still worked, and I was impressed - this Kadara gang was well-armed and coordinated. I certainly didn't want to encounter any of their buddies on our way out. I gave the team a description of the Apex tech officer we needed to find, and in the span of two minutes, we had him. Ozz activated his own omni-tool to run diagnostics on our target.

"Well, that's just splendid," he huffed, after a brief scan. "His tool was damaged when his suit failed."

"Can you fix it?" I asked impatiently.

"Uncertain. We've got better tools on the Nexus - if we can trust them. We should be able to reconstruct enough of the memory sectors to deploy a data recovery prog-"

"Okay, great," I interrupted. "Just grab it, and let's go. We're sitting ducks in here."

Ozz removed the omni-tool from the body, and we started down the tunnel I had first entered through with Keelan and Royce. A few hundred yards in, we ran into trouble. A shot glanced off of Cho's armor, deflected by his active shielding, and a few hundred followed it, as we immediately ducked for cover. The ambush was set up in a wide room with a high ceiling - easily 20 feet across and over 30 high. I didn't get a good look at our assailants, who were camped in the dark, but there were 6-8 sources of gunfire, possibly more.

I popped out from behind cover to fire a few shots into the dark, hitting nothing, but drawing another 4 gunfire sources into the battle. I quickly realized we were badly outnumbered and at a tactical disadvantage.

"Cho, Paladra - get a barrier up and cover our exit," I shouted. "We've gotta fall back."

They agreed, and put a biotic forcefield up momentarily. It couldn't last long with the sheer number of bullets coming at us, but it was enough to allow us to get out from behind cover and dash around the corner and back into the maze of tunnels. I took off in a dead run, with the team on my heels, hoping to lose the attackers - which I assumed were the Cerberus clean-up team - in the forking cave paths. After a series of branching turns, we found ourselves in a long, undeviating tunnel, turning and climbing toward the surface. I chucked a few grenades behind us to slow the clean-up team down, and we were able to get out ahead of them far enough to have hope.

And then we heard more gunfire.

"Is that…?" Cho asked.

"More trouble," I confirmed. Ozz and Paladra looked at me expectantly. "Nowhere to go but forward," I said, breathing heavily. "At least up there, someone's fighting back. Must be some of our guys. Let's see if we can turn the tide."

We moved ahead, quickly but cautiously, and after ascending a tight, steep 30 foot climb, we came up behind a familiar krogan.

"Brann - we're behind you. Four strong," I shouted. He glanced back from his hiding place behind a small group of natural stone columns, as we crept toward him, moving along the wall.

"Wade? Goddamn, it's good to see you!"

"Where's Josie? And Hester?" I asked

"Pinned down across the room. We're in deep, brother."

I looked across the large, uneven opening in the mountain. Josie and Hester were indeed pinned down, crouched behind what looked like the leftovers of a large rockslide. They had a better position to return fire from than Brann, and they definitely needed help.

"Okay, cover us, and we'll cross over to help 'em," I told Brann.

Paladra grabbed my forearm. "Grissom - please stay here. We'll cross-"

"No way. I'm in this," I said, placing my hand on hers. "We can do this. C'mon."

We got set, and I felt the tingle of Cho and Paladra's biotic field around the tightly-packed group. "Now, Brann!" I yelled. He stood and started firing, and we ran shoulder to shoulder, hip-firing as we went. In the middle 8-10 feet of the room was a shallow channel where cool water flowed by. The pungent, sulphuric water splashed around us, as biotics pushed incoming bullets aside. I felt one of the fields flicker, and said a quick 'oh crap' prayer, but we made it to Josie and Hester.

"Grissom! Thank God!" She said, voice scratchy, as the group and I slid into cover. The right side of her head was bloody, but in the uneven light, it was hard to tell what the source was.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned about the blood.

"I'm alright," she answered. "Hester's leg is screwed up, but we can manage. Damn soldiers ambushed us on our way out. Don't know who they are, but they're good."

Ozz and Cho started returning fire to buy us a little time, as Paladra inspected Hester's leg.

"They're Cerberus," I explained. "Long story. Keelan betrayed us. He took the drive, called in the cavalry. I barely escaped."

"He… what?" She said, as shocked as I felt when I saw it happen. "And Leighton?"

"… he died saving my life," I said. I could see her spirits sink. "Listen, I hate to bring bad news, but there's another group like this not far behind us. We're about to be in even deeper trouble if we can't break outta this."

As I was saying the words, Brann shouted toward us.

"Guys! Somebody's coming!"

"Damnit!" I growled. "Jos, we've gotta move fast. Can y'all make a push forward?"

"Whatever you need," she said, her face worried but trying to be confident.

I looked over the battlefield and concocted a plan. We had enough concentrated firepower now to break through one side or the other, but we'd all be dead if we got flanked. Hester had the heavy weapons it took to lay down suppressing fire, and his injury prevented him from making any kind of forward charge. Brann, on the other hand, had the shielding and natural armor to lead the forward push. I gave out orders quickly, trying to get us in a better position before we were overrun.

"Brann! We need you over here. Ozz, Josie - covering fire. Hester, get back thirty yards and use that big-ass gun of yours to keep the rear group off our backs while we push through and break the forward group's ranks. Cho, Paladra - flank him and keep a barrier over him-"

"I-I... don't - I can't do it that long," Paladra stuttered.

"I can do it," Cho said. "You need her for the charge. Just hurry."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Trust me, man," he replied.

"Alright," I said reluctantly. "Go!" Brann lumbered across the room, and rolled awkwardly into cover beside me. "The rest of you are with me. We've got what - nine guys to take down? We're freakin' Apex. We can do this. On the count of three, we go dark. Don't give'em a target. Push forward, flush 'em out. Got it?"

They all spoke or nodded their agreement. Hester and Cho moved out, and I armed the pistol I'd pulled off of one of those Kadara gang members. No shields and a pistol, charging into an entrenched enemy position. I knew which side of the bravery / stupidity spectrum I was about to step into, but I had no other choice. I drew in a quick, deep breath, as Hester's gatling gun began thundering behind us.

"Lights out, gang. Here we go. One. Two. Three."

We rushed out into the perfect dark, sloshing through the water and spreading out as we went. The sound of Hester's gun allowed us to get up close and personal with the entrenched team before they realized we were coming. The room lit up once the Cerberus team began firing, and we each dove into cover. Brann took one out with a shotgun blast right to the torso, taking the disemboweled body and throwing it across the room at the rest of the Cerberus thugs. Josie found a perch on the far side of the narrowing cavern, and picked another one off, putting a round clear through his helmeted head when he popped out of cover. It was working.

I was just across a large boulder from another enemy - and he was unaware of it. I waited for Ozz and Brann to fire another few rounds, and raced around the corner, tackling the lanky man and putting my gun barrel right under his chin. I put two rounds in him before we hit the ground, and rolled over with his body on mine to protect myself from a shower of bullets from a teammate I hadn't noticed nearby. Josie saw my predicament, and fired across the room. She missed in the darkness, but got close enough to make him back up. I yanked the automatic rifle out of the hands of my first victim, and emptied an entire clip into the second, overwhelming his shields and turning his chest into Swiss cheese. Paladra even got one, biotic-pushing a short, stocky man from behind his cover, and putting a few well-placed shots through his neck.

 _Five down, four to go. Have to hurry!_

I heard someone shouting, and looked back at Hester and Cho. They were struggling.

"Hang in there, Cho!" I shouted.

"Doing my best here," he yelled back. I could see the hazy field flicker and shrink.

 _Damnit_! "Okay. Hold on!" I looked forward again. The team was making progress. We just needed a little longer. The problem was, Cho didn't have longer. I had just pushed forward to cover beside Ozz when I heard the shouting.

"Man down! Hester's down!" I looked back again, and saw Cho huddled over Hester, desperately trying to keep whatever protection he could. The gun was off, though. Our flank was exposed.

Before I could respond, Paladra went bolting across the battlefield, her suit deflecting a few stray bullets aside. She crouched behind Cho and Hester and put her own barrier up around them. Cho took the gatling gun, and did his best to resume firing. It was a nice save, but it was tenuous at best. Paladra was right to doubt her ability - combat biotics weren't a strength of hers.

"Forward, everyone - we've gotta end this!" I shouted. Brann and I charged ahead, narrowly escaping return fire, and overran one of the guys in cover. I shot him first, then Brann came in at full speed, head-butting him into oblivion. Ozz crossed the field and took another one out with an explosive shot. The last two were well-entrenched, though, and nearly cut me in half with a spray of bullets, as I tried to advance on them. If I hadn't been behind Brann, I would've been done for.

"Grissom!" Paladra shouted from behind. "Hurry!"

I spun around and looked. She was in trouble - the rear Cerberus group was gaining ground, and I knew that barrier wouldn't hold up.

"Go!" Josie yelled to me. "We'll get the last two."

"Hang on, Paddy!" I shouted, adrenaline at max capacity as I sprinted back to her. _Hurry, hurry, hurry!_ "Hang on!"

My legs pushed with all their might, taking me forward as I fired into the growing cluster of enemies behind Paladra. I was about halfway, when I felt the sting of a bullet rip through my left hip, then another right under my ribcage. I tumbled onto the wet floor, losing my grip on my rifle in the fall.

"Grissom!" Paladra shouted in dismay, looking back across the short gap at me.

"I'm okay. Just hang on!" I grunted, willing myself back up as I pushed the pain to the corner of my mind. I stumbled forward, 50 feet from her, but the going was slow and awkward, thanks to the new hole in my hip. More bullets came flying by as I kept limping, 45 feet from Paladra. 40 feet. And then my heart froze. I felt the tingle of biotic energy around me - she was pushing her barrier back to me - and away from her.

"Paladra, no!" I shouted, lumbering ahead with all my might. "NO!"

I felt the field waver as it pushed bullets aside. It was too much. She was too extended. I watched in horror, no more than 20 feet away, as the field around her faltered, flashed one last time, and disappeared.

I ran to her with everything I had, but it was too late. A spray of violet burst from her abdomen, followed by another, then another, as the soldiers pressed toward us. Something switched in my head in that moment. I didn't care if I lived or died. I didn't care about the mission anymore, about anyone behind me. I only wanted them dead. Every last one of them. It was pure, reckless rage.

Brann rushed past me, soaking in bullets like a sponge, as Cho and I rambled forward behind him. I felt another bullet cut through my left forearm, but I ignored it, pumping the trigger of my pistol with fury. Brann flushed whole clusters of enemies out of their cover, and I punished them severely, firing at two until I emptied my clip, then pistol-whipping another one to death. I took a knife from one of my victims, and caught another enemy from behind, as she was stabbing my krogan teammate. I put the blade through the woman's neck and left it there, diving to tackle yet another and pummeling his face with my bare, bloody fists until Cho came to finish him off. He was the last one of the rear group.

I came back to my senses, straining to get back to my feet, and rushed clumsily back to Paladra. Reddish-purple colored her suit from collar to waist, as she lay there, motionless except for the uneven gasping of her injured lungs.

 _Oh no._ God _, no! No, no, no…_

I fell to the ground next to her, taking her head in my hands.

"Paladra! Can you hear me? Hey! Hang on, okay. We're gonna get you home. Hang on!" I fumbled through my pockets for the tubes of medi-gel I'd stashed earlier, hands shaking so violently I could hardly get them open. Her wounds were so widespread, I didn't know where to start. There was so much blood around and underneath her. Too much blood.

 _God, please no. Please…_

"Paladra!"

She opened her eyes, searching through the dim light until she locked onto my face.

"Gri-" she started to choke out, coughing up blood. She lifted a cold hand up to my face. "I'm… sorry…"

"No - no, you did great," I said, my own voice wavering. "You have to fight now. Don't let go. You have to stay!"

Her eyes closed, as her breathing became more spread out, gurgling and wheezing.

" _I'm_ the one who's sorry," I said, feeling myself tear up. "I'm so sorry. Please don't go…"

She reopened her eyes slightly, looking at me again. "M… m'nath… s…"

"I love you too, Paddy," I said, putting my forehead next to hers. "I'm so sorry."

I held her like that, quivering in the aftermath of the adrenaline and pain and push and injury of the firefight, until Cho placed a hand on my shoulder.

"She's gone, man. Hester, too. They're both gone."

I knew he was right. There was no life in her sweet, beautiful face. No pulse, no breath. He helped me to my feet.

"Oh, no… Paladra…" Josie said mournfully, as she and Ozz joined us.

"We're all clear up front," Ozz reported. "We… should get out of here."

I looked down at Paladra's lifeless body. My heart was tearing in two, but I didn't have time to grieve - not yet. I had team members I was responsible for.

Josie and Ozz were still mostly alright - just the normal bruises and scrapes from a fight. Cho had taken a shot through the shoulder, but his suit had cauterized the wound. Brann, on the other hand, was forming a growing pool of krogan blood on the floor. If we didn't get out soon, he'd be yet another casualty.

Josie took the medi-gel tubes from my hand. "You need this," she said sternly, applying it to the wound under my ribs. "And Brann needs the rest."

I wanted to argue, but I was in too much pain to refuse help. With our wounds plugged enough for the moment, the five of us moved as quickly as possible uphill toward open air, carrying the bodies of our fallen teammates with us. After 10 or 12 more minutes of grueling progress, we saw light in the distance. We reached the surface and collapsed, hiding as we awaited our evac shuttle.

There should've been a whole slew of thoughts spinning around in my mind as I sat there - the fight, the betrayal, the data - but all I could think about was Paladra. I held her limp body in my lap, replaying conversations in her melodic accent, reliving her kisses and hugs - beautiful, perfect, under-appreciated things that I would never feel again. Tears clouded my vision, as I sat there, emotionally distraught. It was a successful mission, to be sure, but the cost was high. Far higher than it should've been.


	20. Decoding

I recognized the footsteps as the sound of their familiar swishes and thuds carried through the dry Eos air. As apathetic as I was in the moment, I was getting annoyed with the nonstop parade of people concerned for me. I didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to be consoled. I screwed up. I pushed my team too hard, asked too much, and lost too many. I knew my friends were only trying to help, but every 'don't blame yourself' and 'it's okay' felt like a free pass from responsibility, and I didn't want that. I didn't deserve that. The weight of Paladra's death was squarely on my shoulders, and I was drowning under it. And I was content with that.

"I heard I'd find you up here," Josie's voice said, warm with concern. I still didn't want to talk about it, but there was an undeniable comfort in the sound.

I didn't respond. She continued. "I'm guessing you already got the 'cut yourself some slack' talk from Cho. Kinda wondering which you need more right now - a hug, or a kick in the butt…"

I exhaled slowly, demonstratively, as the wind tousled my hair and kicked up dust from the pile of loose ground I sat in front of. "Kick away."

"Grissom… you made the call you had to. I would've done the same thing. This is not on you. This is on that bastard, Taylor. It was an impossible situation."

"That doesn't sound much like a kick in the butt."

She chucked dryly. "Guess I don't have it in me."  
"Josie… I appreciate it, but I… I dunno. I don't really want to be cheered up."

I stared at the temporary grave marker bearing Paladra's name. She would get a proper tombstone eventually, with some nice phrase on it about dying as a hero on the frontier. For now, a humble metal slab with "Therios, P." engraved on it was all that signified the treasure buried beneath.

"This isn't abut cheering up," Josie said. "I'm worried about you. You haven't eaten, haven't slept. You're hurt, Grissom. You need to care for yourself."

"I'm fine," I lied. I knew I wasn't okay, but I was so numb, so emptied from crying and retching, that I didn't want anything.

"The hell you are," she snapped back, stern but kind.

"I'm not ready to leave."

"Okay, then…" she said, squatting down and taking a seat next to me, arms folded across her knees. "I'll keep you company."

Part of me wanted to chase her away, but a different part of me really, desperately wanted the comfort of her presence. That's the part that won out. I sat with her in silence for a while, before opening up.

"You know, it's not just the casualties. Everyone wants to give me a pass for that, and, I dunno, whatever. I know how this game goes. Gotta live with your decisions. The thing that kills me is Keelan. I should've seen it. I should've known."

"Grissom, nobody knew. Kandros trusted him, we all did. We were all on the team, too."

"Yeah, but you didn't know him like I do. You didn't serve with him for years. _Years_. It was right in front of me, Jos. I knew his cousin was part of Cerberus. I knew he was ambitious, and pragmatic. All that time, I thought Royce was the mole. God, I was so stupid! I know what I'm capable of. I should've figured it out."

"What is wrong with you? Seriously, when are you gonna cut yourself just a little slack and allow yourself to be human? Your standard is so high, it's impossible to meet."

"It's not about standards. People trusted me. I let them down."

I could tell she was getting frustrated. "Haven't you figured it out yet? The only person you keep disappointing is yourself. I believe in you, and so does the rest of the team. Kandros even offered to promote you!"

"I haven't accepted yet," I said back, growing a little frustrated myself. It was true - Kandros offered to promote me to Echo Team leader in the wake of Keelan's defection. I told him I'd consider it, but in truth, the thought had hardly crossed my mind. Very few thoughts had crossed my mind over the past 36 hours other than the failed mission on Kadara.

"Well you're going to accept it," she insisted.

"Is that so?"  
"It is. You're gonna take the job, because we need you, and because you'd be damn good at it."

"I dunno, Jos. Honestly, I just don't know if I can handle being responsible for any more people dying."

"You didn't shoot Leighton. Or Hester, or Paladra."

"I know, I just…" I trailed off, burying my head in my folded arms. Just hearing her name out loud brought another wave of grief I wasn't ready for.

"… this is about… _her_ , isn't it?" She asked. "I saw the way she looked at you. Everyone did."

"Josie, I…"

"Were you… in love with her?"

"I cared about her. A lot. She was… the closest friend I had in this place. And maybe more. I think it was to her. But, I don't… I - I don't know. It doesn't matter now."

"It matters to some people," she said weakly.

My self-blame compounded. _Great, pour it on, you jerk! She's here to comfort you. To open herself up to you again, and all you've got is 'maybe I was in love with another woman.' Stupid boy._

"Josie… I never stopped caring about you-"

"I'm not asking for that," she interrupted. "I'm not asking for anything, really. It's just… you didn't lose everyone on Kadara. You saved Brann and Ozz. You saved me. And you saved that data, and once they get that decoded… well, you will have saved a lot more lives. You've gotta grieve, but… don't lose yourself in this." She caressed my back gently, looking at me through kind, sincere eyes. "She wasn't the only one who looked at you that way. Who respects you, who… who loves you. Don't go so far down this hole that you can't come back."

"I don't want to. To get lost here," I said, my emotions a tangled mess. "But I'm just… not ready to shove all this in a box and lock it away."

"Don't," she replied, scooting in closer for warmth. It was nearly dark outside by this point, and the temperature was dropping. "Grieve. I'm in no hurry. Kandros, though… he's gonna want an answer soon."

"Yeah. Soon… but not yet."

She leaned her head on my shoulder, her silky brown hair dancing in the wind just enough to occasionally tickle my face. She felt perfect right there - like her head was made for my shoulder. After a while, I rested my head on hers, and in no time at all, I was fast asleep. I woke up hours later, head in Josie's lap.

"Sorry, I-"

"Shhh," she interrupted. "You needed the sleep. Let's get you back to your bed, though."

She helped me up, and we made the ten minute walk back to my apartment together. She stopped in the doorway, and I turned to face her.

"Grief is a beast. You shouldn't face it alone," she said. "Please… share it with me. I'm here."

"I will," I said, pulling her in and hugging her tightly.

"Now, get some sleep," she said firmly.

I followed her instructions, and crashed on my bed, still fully clothed.

I would've slept for hours more - maybe even all day - but an urgent page came through my intercom a few hours before dawn.

I stumbled into the QEC room, still a little groggy from an awkward and incomplete night of sleep. Ozz was waiting there for me.

"What's this about?" I asked, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes.

"Kandros wants to speak with you," he replied. "With all of us, I suppose, but specifically you. Are you ready?"

"Sure," I sighed. Grief was still heavy on my mind - I didn't feel like 'talking,' but you couldn't really say no to the leader of Apex. Ozz typed a few buttons, and I was joined via telecommunication with Kandros, as well as a few others.

"Wade - glad you could join us so quickly," Kandros said, once we were online. "I've got the Asari and Turian pathfinders, Sarissa and Avitus, conferenced in with me. We've got some results from the data you brought, and we need to figure out a course of action."

"Wow. That was fast," I replied, impressed. "Oh - and nice to meet y'all."

"We got the information to the asari SAM { _SAM: Shorthand for Simulated Adaptive Matrix, a brain-interface between a pathfinder and an advanced virtual intelligence supercomputer_ }," Kandros explained. "He made quick work of it."

"That's why we love supercomputers," I said. "Where's Ryder?"  
Sarissa answered. "We… thought it might be best to keep him and the rest of the humans out of the loop on this, at least for now. If it's true this is tied to Cerberus…"

"We didn't want to take any chances," Kandros added. "No offense."

"None taken. What did you find?"

"We could only get a read on the portion of the data that the omni-tool had already copied, but it gave us enough of an idea. In simple terms, the data that was stolen could be used to bypass security protocols on initiative ships and stations. Anyone with enough computing power could use it to get around locked doors, locked systems, weapons caches… anything."

"So, like a digital skeleton key?" I asked.

"Ugh… yes, something like that," he responded.

"Our SAM said the greatest threat would be to the Arks," Sarissa added. "The Nexus has additional layers and safeguards that would make it harder to hijack. The Arks could be in serious danger, though."

"Well, that's just great," I said, as Josie walked in, sleepy-eyed like I was. "What are we gonna do about it?"

"Our technicians are working on new security patches that could make the stolen data obsolete, but it's… a lot harder than it sounds… apparently."

"Many of the systems are hardwired to prevent being easily changed," Ozz interjected. "It's supposed to make this sort of thing impossible."

"The good news is, we're onto them," Kandros said. "Wade, I've gotta commend you on getting this information. We've already found three operatives working right under our noses on the Nexus. We won't make any arrests yet - don't want them to know we have anything - but we're tapping their communications. The bad news, though… beyond the arks as targets, we don't know what their next move is. This is where you come in. You knew Taylor better than anyone, and your report said he tried to recruit you to Cerberus. Any idea what they're planning?"

"I don't know. They're planning something 'big,' though. Hijacking an ark, maybe? Or blowing one up? They're freakin' insane. It's hard to say what they're gonna try."

Sarissa spoke up again. "The obvious hijacking target is the Hyperion. It's in the best shape. If they were to steal it, they could cripple the Nexus, hide out anywhere."

"Plus, it's full of humans," the Turian pathfinder, Avitus added. "If they took the Hyperion, and joined up with the Exiles on Kadara, they'd be strong enough to challenge the rest of the Initiative."

"If I may, we have an alternate theory," Ozz said. "We think this same group is responsible for poisoning the salarian scientists on Havarl, and for the modified genophage virus on Elaaden."

"What makes you say that?" Sarissa asked.

"The nerve agent for the salarians was far too sophisticated for the angarans to have developed. It's too sophisticated for anyone to have brought it up from scratch after arriving here in the galaxy. The same goes for this genophage virus. Only a few people in either galaxy has access to that formula. But when I heard Cerberus was involved, I recalled that Mordin Solus was one of those few people, and he began collaborating with Cerberus not long before we left the Milky Way."

"I guess that makes sense," Kandros conceded. "So, what's their gameplan, then?"

"We think they're trying to take out the competition without a traditional fight," I answered. "Think about it - salarians and krogan don't trust each other to begin with. Poison a few of each, frame them as hate crimes, and you can get them to kill each other without needing to fire a shot. If they've got the codes to the arks, I'll bet they're not gonna steal one. I'll bet they're gonna scuttle one. They are one big pack of murderous bastards."

Sarissa's face turned gravely concerned. "If they got hold of the Leusenia… we've still got five thousand in cryo. A system failure, power outage… a fire… goddess!"

"We're even more vulnerable on the Natanus," Avitus said. "The ark's in bad shape - we're barely holding onto enough power to keep our population alive… and we've still got almost twelve thousand on board. We can't move it - we're outside the Nexus' protection. It's just asking for trouble."

"What kind of protection do you have onboard right now?" Kandros asked.

"A few dozen security guards, but they're not Apex material. They'd be no match for the kind of organized resistance Apex faced on Kadara. If I had three more weeks to evacuate the rest of the ark…"  
"We don't know how much time we have," Kandros said, "but if they find out we know about this data, they'll move fast. We need to get defenses ready as soon as possible. Since we don't know which ark they'll hit, we'll need to protect all three, but we need to do it quietly. I'm keeping this to as tight a circle as I can. I want people on this I can trust. Sarissa, can you get your people to the Leusenia? I'll have Nexus militia increase their patrols around the docks."  
"You got it," she said.

"Good. I'll send Charlie team to the Hyperion. Wade - I know your team has been through a lot, but you're one of the few groups I know I can trust. How soon can you have Echo ready for deployment?"

"Give me half an hour," I replied, looking to Ozz and Josie. They nodded in agreement.

"Great," Kandros said. "Rix, I'm sending Delta and Echo to the Natanus. Can you rendezvous with them there?"

"Absolutely," he answered.

"Good. We have a tremendous lead, everyone. Let's not waste it. Get on site as soon as possible, and get ready for a fight. Kandros out."

The transmission ended, and the three of us in the room all took a deep breath.

"So, I guess you said 'yes' to Kandros?" Josie said. "About leading?"

"Seems that way," I replied.

"We're behind you," Ozz said, extending a hand to shake mine. "Let's do this."

"I'll get Cho," Josie offered.

"What about Brann?" Ozz asked. "I know he's resilient…"

"He's shot to hell," I said, dismissing the idea. "Lucky he has an extra set of lungs. He's in no shape to fight. Just… don't tell him. He'd try to stow away."

"You're probably right," Ozz said. "I'll prep the shuttle."

Ozz took off at a near-running pace, leaving me alone again with Josie. She grasped my shoulders, looking squarely into my eyes. Even tired, and with a nasty gash on her forehead, she was distractingly beautiful. "I believe in you," she said. "You can do this. You're the right person for the job. You lead, we're with you. To the end."

"Thanks Jos."

"I mean it."

"I know you do."

We loaded onto the shuttle, restocked with ammo and bandaged up from the last fight. I still had a limp from the hip shot I got on Kadara, but the rib and forearm injuries were mild enough that an intense drug cocktail kept them from slowing me down. I couldn't afford to be anything less than my best - there was too much on the line.

I hated Cerberus. For years, I'd lived under the shadow of their thinly-veiled xenophobia, picking up the pieces from the lives they stepped on to accomplish their goals. Revenge was coming, for sure, but this was bigger than revenge. It was bigger than me. This time, Cerberus wasn't just out for a leg-up on the competition - they were out for annihilation. Barring some miracle back home, the reapers had long ago wiped out any vestige of sentient life in the Milky Way. As scarred and flawed as it was, the Initiative was all that remained of five noble, beautiful species. If Keelan and Cerberus had their way, that five would be systematically reduced to one. This wasn't about revenge - it was about extinction, and Apex was all that stood in the way. There was no option. We had to win.

I paced the floor of the shuttle with nervous anxiety, checking and re-checking my weapons and equipment all the way to our destination. The rest of the team did the same. We all knew the stakes, and felt the urgency. We were ready - and it was a good thing, because life had another unpleasant surprise waiting for us.

The moment we dropped out of FTL, we received an S.O.S. on the comm. The Natanus was already under attack, with multiple hostiles at three different entry points. The security team was overwhelmed, and had retreated to the bridge. My pulse raced, as we made the final 3-minute approach to dock, but my hope sank. The battle was already going on. And we were losing.


	21. Natanus

The Natanus looked calm enough from the outside. The ship had been through hell already, losing entire decks to the scourge, but other than old exterior damage, you'd never know there was anything going on inside. We brought our shuttle in to the port side docking bay, where a larger, unmanned shuttle sat - presumably Cerberus's. I thought about scuttling it, but Ozz convinced me it would be better to steal it if we got the chance. Good vehicles didn't exactly grow on trees in Andromeda, and the automated factories on the Nexus were only running at half-strength. I elected to table the discussion for the moment - we had more pressing matters to get to.

Once we were inside the ship's mass effect field, I set my omni-tool to the Apex frequency, and reached out to Avitus, the Turian Pathfinder.

"Echo? Thank the spirits!" He replied over the comm. "We're seriously outnumbered here. How many are with you?"

"Just four," I answered.

"Damn. Okay, well, it's four more than we had. We're doing everything we can to keep them out of the bridge. They can screw us a thousand different ways from in there. Where are you located?"

"Just inside the port side shuttle dock."

"Okay… that can work… Listen, you're gonna want to get to the tram entrance - it should be a few hundred feet in front of you. The tram's out, but the tunnel will get you here. Take the maintenance tunnel, and head toward operations. With luck, you might be able to flank these bastards and give us enough of a boost to repeal them."

"Roger that," I said, signing off and turning to my team. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get to that tram tunnel. Double time!"

We reached the tram entrance without any trouble, and in moments, we were jogging down the maintenance tunnel. Turians are typically a bit taller than humans, which made the cramped hallway a little easier to handle, but it was clearly not meant for ease of movement. Our footsteps echoed endlessly down the smooth, featureless metal walls, which were poorly-lit by dull, bluish-white lights situated every 20 feet or so. The signs were all in Turian writing, which made tracking our progress difficult. Thanks to the rise of universal translators, learning an alien language was more of a luxury than a necessity. The problem was, the translators were audio-based - they didn't work on written language. I took two years of Turian in high school, but forgot more than I retained. The only one who had any confidence making sense of the writing was Ozz, so we let him take the lead.

The Natanus was just under a mile long, and the bridge was near the other end of the vessel. Even at a brisk jog, it took longer than I wanted for us to reach the operations tram station. Ozz led us through the empty loading platform and out into a courtyard - and then dropped, as the echo of gunfire thundered through the plant-filled room.

They were ready for us.

Cho threw a barrier up as we scrambled to find cover. A quick visual scan of the room showed 6 enemies in ideal defensive positions. Charging them would be like running headfirst into oncoming traffic - unless you happened to have a badass sniper and a biotic. And a dude who had a score to settle with Cerberus.

I took cover behind a large metal platform that held a single ornamental tree, peering out cautiously to see Cho use his biotic ability to pull two guys out from behind cover, and suspend them in mid-air. Josie ventilated their chests with her rifle, and I took the opportunity to move forward. I limped across a short, tile-paved stretch of courtyard, and got around behind one of them, firing a few rounds from my rifle. He had powerful shielding - maybe even better than our Apex suits - but it did nothing to slow down my omni-blade. Before he had a chance to shoot back, my blade put a hole 6 inches wide through his ribcage. Three down. Three to go.

One of the enemies got a grenade close enough to force Cho out of cover, and he took a few hits - I couldn't tell if his shield protected him or not. I kept circling around to my right, trying to flank the rest of the group. They fired back, but that drew one of them up high enough for Josie to sink a round in his neck. I felt my shields deflect two bullets on my way in, but I didn't miss a step, jumping over a three-foot-high stair railing and coming down blade-first on the next guy. I grazed his thigh as he jumped back, drawing blood, but not incapacitating him. He struck back with a blade of his own, and missed me by inches. I locked into a hand-to-hand struggle with him, kicking his injured leg to drop him to the ground. He cut me on the underside of my left arm, near the shoulder, but opened himself to a counterattack in the process, and I put my blade right through his neck. Cho and Josie double-teamed the last guy while I was caught up with my opponent, and for the moment, we were safe.

I ran over to Ozz, blood oozing down my arm and dripping from my elbow, as my suit's auto-aid system worked to seal the large gash. Josie was already there, talking to Ozz and getting an extra medi-gel pack out.

"Missed his head, but got him pretty bad near the collarbone," she said, as I got there. "I'm trying to slow the bleeding."

"I - I can move," Ozz said, wincing. "We're probably not safe here."

"Let Josie patch you up first," I insisted. "Can't have you bleeding out on us."

Cho walked up last, looking no worse for the wear. "I checked up ahead - looks like we're clear for now."  
"Great" I said. "Once Ozz is stable, we'll push on to the bridge. Watch our backs - don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

Josie did her best, but Ozz's internal injuries were beyond what she could fix. The caliber of sniper bullet that hit him was slowed by his deflection shield, but still had enough power to punch a hole through him. We helped him to his feet, leaving an unsettlingly large pool of salarian blood behind, and moved on to the bridge.

Avitus opened the heavy-duty blast door when we arrived, letting us in under armed guard, and sealing it down again behind us.

"Thank the spirits you made it," he said, as we joined the small crowd in the glass-front room. "This is all we've got left." He gestured toward the mostly-Turian group behind him. "Four security guards, six from Apex Delta, and me."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to have all of us in here?" I asked. "And give them free run of the ship?"  
"We had to regroup," he explained. "We were getting our tails kicked out there. Plus, this is the most defensible spot on the ark. We could hold out against fifty of 'em in here."

I looked around - the only two entrances were sealed with thick metal doors. Small arms fire would be useless on these. Nothing short of major explosives would even put a dent in them.

"It's a good spot for defense," I agreed. "How long have you been in here?"

"Twenty, thirty minutes," he answered.

"Have they tried to take it?" I asked.

"No. They probably know it's pointless."

"Okay, so where else might they try and attack then? 'Cause the guys we ran into back there sure didn't act like they were giving up."  
"Well, the cryo bay, for sure," Avitus answered, as Josie walked up, finally satisfied she had done what she could for Ozz. "And possibly environmental controls. There's an access panel that they might try to use to cut off oxygen to the bridge and slowly suffocate us. We're on pressurized suits, though - we're good for hours."

"What about the power core?" Josie asked.

"Don't worry," Avitus replied, "the bridge, cryo bay and operations deck all have auxiliary power supplies. They can't power us down from there."

"Yeah, but they could overheat it and blow us all to smithereens," she rebutted.

"But… that would be suicide," Avitus said, suddenly concerned. "You'd have to leave at least two men in there to override the safety protocols."

"These guys are beyond fanatical," I said. "Kamikaze attacks are not out of the question. Could be a last resort for them. If their main goal is to kill the sleepers in cryo, that would still get the job done."

"Okay, then we need to check each of those out," he conceded. We can leave a skeleton crew here on the bridge to hold it. Let's have you take your team to check on the cryo bay. I'll take part of Delta with me to the power core, and send the rest of them to environmental controls. Do you know how to get there? The tram tunnel is still your best bet."

"We'll be fine," I said. "Cho, Josie, you heard him. Let's get out there. Ozz - you okay to hold down the fort here?"  
"I'm… I'll manage," he said weakly. He didn't look good.

We checked the security camera monitor, and things looked clear on the opposite side of the blast door.

"Alright, open it up," Avitus commanded, "but be quick to shut it behind us."

The security guard at the door panel hit a few buttons, a light came on… but nothing moved. He hit it again, and got the same result.

"Anytime, Corlos," Avitus said, annoyed.

"It's not… working…" the guard replied, more confused than concerned.

"Let me see that," Avitus huffed, pushing his way in. After several attempts on both doors, we began to realize what was going on.

"Don't you see?" Ozz said, leaning against an instrument panel next to his chair. "They've locked us out of the system - and trapped us in this room."  
"What?!" Avitus said, fearful for the first time. "But-"

"That code language, it's a digital back door into all kinds of systems," Ozz interrupted. "If all our people are in here-"

"They've got the whole damn ship to themselves," I said, shaking my head. "We walked right into a trap."

"They're improvising," Ozz said. "Taking the bridge only slowed them down, but if they can hack into the door locks, it's only a matter of time before they break the other systems. How difficult is it to get through those doors? We brought a few sticky explosives…"

"You'd need a damn ship cannon to get through those," Avitus lamented. "We're trapped."  
I looked around the room again, searching for anything we could use to our advantage. The doors were impenetrable, the room had its own ventilation system, so no air ducts to sneak through… the only vulnerable place on the entire room was the huge, composite window looking out into space…

"Alright, y'all," I said after a moment. "They can improvise, we can improvise. Anyone else have anything explosive? Grenade, charges, anything?"

Avitus sighed. "I told you. Blasting through the doors won't-"

"I'm not blasting through the doors," I interrupted. "We're gonna blow a hole in that big-ass window."

"Are you crazy?" Josie said, incredulous. "We'll get sucked out into space!"  
"Not if we keep our distance and use our mag-boots," I countered. "Everybody here got 'em?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then that's the play. Unless someone has a better idea…"  
No one had an alternative, so I collected a handful of grenades and a few sticky mines, and set them on the bottom right corner of the window. We all grouped together in the far corner of the room, turned our mag boots on, and said a prayer. Josie lined up the shot, and the whole room flashed white and hot with the explosion. Once the smoke cleared, there was a crack spiderwebbing across the whole right section of the window… but no hole.

"Damn Turian engineering," I muttered, walking over to inspect the window. There was a tiny hole - no more than 2 inches across, and pressurized air was streaming out of it. We were close. I activated my omni blade and started pounding on the crack.

"What are you doing?" Josie shouted, slowly approaching. "Stop! You're gonna get sucked out!"

"Gotta get this thing broken," I grunted, slamming my blade into it again and again. I could feel it give and bend with each blow. I reared back to swing at it again, but a firm hand grabbed my elbow, spinning me around.

"Stop!" Josie said, her fiery eyes somewhere between anger and desperate pleading. "We can find another way."

I yanked my elbow free. "This is my responsibility, Jos. I have to do this-"

"No you don't! Dying for the team won't bring Leighton and Paladra back. We need you alive."

I sighed, frustrated. She saw right through me… and she was right.

"Josie, I…"

"I need you alive."

Ozz interrupted the moment, shouting with a weakened, ragged breath. "I've got another idea." He pulled out his Scorpion pistol, and removed the clip. "This is my last full clip. Sticky grenades. P… put it on the hole, have Josie…"

"We got it, buddy," I said, walking over and taking the clip from his hand. We cracked open a medi-gel tube and placed a large enough glob of it on the ammo clip to get it to stay in place. As it turned out, we didn't really need it - the suction created by the pressurized air on the bridge escaping into space kept it pressed tightly against the hole in the window. We all huddled in the far corner, and Josie took another shot. This time, it worked perfectly.

The clear material shattered along the cracked paths with a deafening crash, and everything not tied down was sucked outside in to the deathly cold of space.

With the air pressure stabilized, our group set out to make our escape, leaving Ozz and 2 of the security guards behind to protect the bridge. Ozz handed his tactical cloak device to me, and starting typing on a computer terminal on the bridge, trying to counter whatever hacking attempts Cerberus was working on. He had instructions to scuttle the ship if Cerberus came for him, but with any luck, they still believed we were all safely locked away.

Avitus led the way, walking along the hull of the ship a lot faster than I felt comfortable following. I had never really done much spacewalking - something about the possibility of floating endlessly into space to slowly suffocate to death just gave me the creeps. Ten minutes later, we came to an opening in the hull where the ark had been damaged by the scourge, and one by one, we made our way over the exposed ribs and wires of the broken ship and into an access hallway. The physical bulkhead wasn't locked - after all, who would be stupid enough to open a bulkhead in space? After the initial burst of pressurized air blew past, we forced our way inside, and resealed the door. It was time to split up and get to our assignments.

Avitus stuck with the plan we decided on before escaping the bridge, and sent Echo toward the cryo chamber. We had the farthest to go, so we made for the nearest tram station and headed at a near-run back toward the stern of the ship. Halfway there, the Delta Leader jumped on the radio.

"Rix? This is Sentum. We're outside the hallway to the maintenance deck, but there's no way to get through here. The door's badly crumpled - looks like more scourge damage. We're gonna need another way around."

"Ugh! Of course. Okay, let me think," Avitus replied in a near-whisper. "Maybe… no. Which floor are you on?"

"Fourteen."

"Okay… let's see… backtrack a bit, and look on the middle of the floor for a hatch. Should be an emergency passageway to fifteen. Take that, go about a hundred feet, and you'll see another one leading up. It'll bring you back up to the last hall on fourteen before you reach the mechanical deck."

"I see it," Sentum relied. "Taking that now. Thanks."

"Just hurry," Avitus said. "Echo, what's your location?"

"In a tunnel somewhere," I answered, not wanting to slow down and decipher more Turian language. Without Ozz around, it wouldn't have done much good anyway. "About halfway there, I think."

"Roger that."

We kept up the pace, growing more winded as we went. Three minutes later, Sentum was on the radio again.

"Rix, we're back on fourteen, but the lights are out. Are you sure it was the first hatch we should've taken? Is there another farther - _what the hell_? Kalen, move! Heavy machine g-"

His voice was cut off by the sound of high-caliber gunfire, followed by heavy breathing, and the diminishing sound of Apex small arms trying to return fire.

"Sentum? What happened?" Avitus asked.

"Walked right into a trap," he groaned weakly. "They knew… Kalen's down. Arcos, Cahn… all of them. Spirits! _All of them_. They knew we were c-"

The sound of more gunfire signaled the end of Delta team. Our operation was compromised.

"They're on our channel!" I radioed to Avitus. "Gotta go silent!"

"Damnit!" Avitus said bitterly. "Good luck, Echo. Over and out."

I pulled to a stop for a moment to revise our strategy.

"Okay, listen - I don't know how much Cerberus knows, but the cat's outta the bag on our escape. That means our time window just got a lot smaller. They'll be coming for Ozz soon. Fortunately, Avitus didn't say where he was headed over the radio… and neither did we."

"That comm system is unique to Apex," Cho said. "They only way they'd be able to eavesdrop-"

"Is if we're dealing with more defectors or moles," I interrupted. "Either way, it's bad. I'm gonna shoot straight with y'all - there's a good chance this is a one-way trip here. If we can figure out which weak points to target, those Cerberus assholes are probably thinking the same thing. There are _twelve thousand_ turians sleeping on this ship. If they die, the Initiative fails… or we put the turians in danger of extinction. I'm not gonna let that happen. Help won't get here in time - it's up to us. I'll trade my life for twelve thousand, if that's what it takes."

Cho tilted his head with a slight shrug. "Let's do this."

I looked at Josie. There was an intensity in her eyes - determination, sadness… but not fear. She closed them for a moment, pressing those beautiful lashes together with a forced exhale. "I'm ready."

We went to a full run, covering the rest of the length between tram stations in a hurry, and crept out right around the corner from the cryo bay.

There was one unlucky woman guarding the dark lobby between the bay entrance and the tram station. Cho pulled her in biotically and sliced her throat, leaving a mess, but making virtually no sound. We snuck past her post and into the sprawling system of cylindrical rooms that held the bulk of the turian population, suspended in time, oblivious to the danger they were in.

The first few branches off the main hub looked normal, as though they had been untouched, but near the end of the large hallway, we could see lights and shadows moving. We made our way quickly to the very last bay, where 8 Cerberus operatives were moving back and forth, inspecting pods or tapping on computer terminals. I couldn't tell exactly what they were up to, but I didn't want to wait to find out. I pulled Josie and Cho back, whispering in their ears.

"Take the cloak," I instructed Josie. "Get someplace where you've got a good angle. Cloak, and take as many out as you can before they see you. Once they're distracted, I'll move in and flush 'em out. Cho, think _offense_. Try to stick to cover and use your power to lift 'em, or pull 'em out where Josie and I can pick 'em off."

He nodded, and Josie got into place. The enemies kept working, unaware of our presence. The element of surprise was with us. Josie cloaked, and started firing, taking down 3 of the 8 before they had a chance to organize any defense. I charged forward amid the confusion, taking my share of hits to the shield, but plunging my blade clear through a guy's chest and out the other side. I carried him forward as a human shield, while Cho lifted another one for Josie to pick off. She made a great shot, but the tactical cloak had run out at that point. The muzzle flash from her shot gave up her position. I dropped my first victim and started forward for more, when I saw a grenade go overhead, exploding no more than a few feet from Josie's position.

I felt my heart jump out of my chest for a moment, but crammed the emotions back down as quickly as they had come up. There was no time for feelings - not with bullets still flying.

Without sniper cover, it was up to me and Cho to finish the fight. I reloaded my rifle and charged ahead. I overwhelmed one guy with bullets, dropping the gun and leaping over a row of pods to come down on his teammate, plowing my blade through his neck. The last of them landed several shots on me, damaging my suit and clipping my already-injured left shoulder, but Cho threw him 20 feet in the air with biotics, and slammed him down with so much force it cracked the floor. The room was cleared.

My first thought was to get back and check on Josie, but as I stood to my feet, I was distracted by the huge plumes of steam coming from the 4th or 5th row of pods. Once I looked more closely, I realized… we were too late. They were depressurizing.

"No, no, no!" I said, running to the nearest computer terminal. Before I could make sense of anything on the screen, I heard the hiss of another pod thawing prematurely, temporarily drowning out my suit's power failure warning, which beeped incessantly in my ear. Ten seconds later, the next one in line started steaming. I had to do something - and fast. I knew the system had been instructed to systematically thaw - and kill - row after row of pods. That much was clear. What I _didn't_ know what how to make sense of the writing on the screen, which was predictably turian.

I started to tap my wrist to call Avitus on the radio, but stopped abruptly. If I gave up my location, I'd be surrounded in minutes. And that's _if_ Avitus was even still alive. This was about saving sleepers, though, not playing it safe. I took a deep breath, and tapped the radio.

"Avitus? Are you there? Come in! Avitus? Ozz? Anybody?"

Nothing. If they had any sense, Avitus and Ozz turned off their radios like I did. Either that, or they were dead. I had to figure out the problem on my own.

"Cho!" I yelled, still pouring over the foreign characters on the screen. "Do you speak any turian?"

"Nothing," he said, running to look at the screen and the results of the Cerberus hack, as another row hissed and steamed. "Oh crap."

"I'm gonna try and stop this, but I don't know if I can. Get to the drive core, and bring Avitus here. Hurry!"

"Got it!" He said, taking off in a dead run, as I turned back to the panel.

 _Think, think, think._ THINK _, damnit!_ I said internally, fighting the urge to panic. _What's the word for 'stop?' Oh, why didn't I pay more attention in school_?

The slashes and crossed lines on the screen looked like gibberish to my eyes, as I searched the text desperately for anything familiar. I found "next," and "previous," and something that was either "status" or "repeat." Or, was it "eight?" I didn't know, and that stressed me even more. Another hiss signaled another row beginning to thaw. The wheels in my head were spinning, but I was getting nowhere. I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, and said a prayer.

"God, I could really use your help right now. Show me what to do. I don't… I can't do this. You've gotta help me. For these guys. Please…"

And then, it came to me. _Tnakto. That's it! 'Stop.' Tnakto._ I searched the panel feverishly for the lettering that corresponded to the turian word for 'stop,' but couldn't find it, so I tried talking to the thing.

"Tnakto! _Tnakto_ , damnit! Tnakt-"

Suddenly, the color on the panel changed from orange to pale blue, and a loud tone sounded from somewhere nearby. I raced over to the nearest row of depressurized pods to check - the people inside were frozen solid, crystallized. They were goners. The rest of the pods, though, kept blinking their blue-white status lights like normal. I watched for a moment, and next row didn't hiss.

I did it. They were safe.

I ran back to the panel, reading through the text again, and things were starting to make a little more sense. I found a button that said "menu," tapping it, and fumbling my way through a few pages to try and incapacitate or lock down the panel to prevent anyone from tapping "go" and restarting the massacre.

And then I was painfully interrupted.

I heard it before I felt it - the loud, thundering snap, followed by a hot, searing pain in my chest. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. I noticed a tiny, spiderwebbing crack pattern around a bullet-sized hole in the screen in front of me. I'd been shot clean through.

My mind told me to draw my pistol and spin around to defend myself, but my body didn't respond. I gasped for air as my knees buckled, sending me slumping to the ground. The world started to spin as I held one hand to my chest to try and slow the bleeding, while I drew my pistol with the other. Before I could find anyone to shoot, a boot kicked the gun from my grasp, pressing down on my forearm to keep me from reaching out for it.

"Damnit, Wade," a familiar voice said, short of breath. "I don't wanna kill you. Look at what you did to these guys! You could've been a hell of an asset to humanity."

 _Keelan. Of course. That explains the radio eavesdropping…_

He put his foot on my shoulder and shoved, rolling me over onto my back. The flashing cryo pod lights swayed above me, shifting in an out of focus, as I struggled to take deep enough breaths. Every expansion of my chest felt like a stab wound. There were two other men with Keelan - they split up and walked over to the pods, but I didn't have time to watch and see what they were doing there. Keelan's biotic power pressed down on me, pinning me to the ground, as he knelt beside me and removed my helmet. The cryo bay was oxygenated, but at a much lower rate than my suit. It already felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw - now it felt like I was doing it on a mountaintop. Keelan grabbed my hair, slapping my cheek slightly to focus my attention on his face.

"I respect you, Wade," he said. "You're a good soldier, and I'll give you a soldier's death. Quick, clean and painless. Just tell me who leaked the plan, and I'll send you off in peace."

I fought against his grip to crane my neck and look at what the guys were doing to the cryo bays behind me. They were ripping cables out of the pods, one at a time, depressurizing the sleepers the old-fashioned way. I had to break free. Had to do _something_. I tried to wiggle free, but Keelan wasn't having it. He slapped me much harder this time, strengthening his grip on my hair.

"Pay attention, Wade," he chided, with a violent edge to his sarcastic tone. "I don't wanna do this the hard way, but I will. Who was the mole? Who cracked? Don't suffer, bro. You're lung shot, and nobody's coming for you. You can die fast, or slow and painless. Tell me what I want to know."

I gurgled through the blood pooling in my mouth, and spit it in his face. " _You_ screwed up," I choked out, before an excruciating round of coughs. "Too busy stabbing us… in the back… to clean up."

"What in the _hell_ are you talking about?" He said, wiping the blood from his face with a frustrated snarl.

"We hacked the data ourselves… we know wh-… what you're… up to." I coughed again, as my field of vision darkened around the edges for a moment. I couldn't see my chest, but I could feel the sticky warmth of my blood, as it continued to seep out through my fingers. I wasn't going to be able to hold onto consciousness for long. I fought back, willing myself to snap out of it and stay awake. Wades never surrendered - I wasn't about to change that.

"There - I t… told you," I grunted. Every word was pained. Every breath was a challenge. "Just do it."

He smiled, chuckling lightly, as he released my head. "Oh, that's good, Wade. That's real good. We've got people in your own back yard, and you still don't know." He pulled a pistol out, placing the cold, smooth barrel against my temple. My eyes started to close, but I forced them back open. If my commander - my friend - was going to murder me, he was gonna have to stare me in the eyes as he did it. I pushed back against his biotic hold over me, but he was too strong. He laughed dryly.

"Still a fighter, huh, Wade? Shame. Damn shame. You picked the wrong side, bro. Cerberus is gonna br-"

His speech was interrupted by a gunshot to his shoulder.

Somebody was still out there. This fight wasn't over yet.

I felt the biotic field over me lift, as Keelan leaned back and groaned in pain. I pooled all the strength I had left in me, and activated my omni blade, leaning in as I swung my arm upward. The red-hot blade sliced him open from naval to neck, killing him instantly, and dropping his lifeless weight on me in a hot, sticky heap. What breath I had left was knocked out under the force of his collapse - I couldn't get an ounce of air in my weakened lungs. I tried fruitlessly to push him off, as the sound of a firefight roared around me. Eventually I made enough room to draw one more breath, but that's all I had.

 _So this is it, then? Well, good. At least I made a difference. I'm ready, Lord. Come and take me._

I relaxed my body, content to know someone was carrying on the fight. Feet came limping into my view, as my vision grew blurrier. Suddenly, the weight of Keelan's body rolled off of me, and I felt soft, warm hands cradle my head. I could hear Josie's voice speaking, but my drowsy mind couldn't make out any words. I gasped, and coughed and gurgled, but the darkening around the edge of my vision got stronger and pushed inward, until I couldn't see anything. My fingers went numb, then my legs, then my chest, until there was nothing but the urge to draw in air.

 _Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out._

The world went impossibly dark and cold, as I finally let go of my consciousness, drifting off until there was nothing at all.


	22. Epilogue

I wasn't sure exactly what heaven was supposed to be like, but I seemed to remember something about there being no pain. Either I misunderstood that part, or I was somewhere else, because the next thing I felt was a heavy ache in my chest. It came again and again, rhythmically hurting me with every breath.

 _Breath! Wait a minute… breath? I'm… alive. I think._

I struggled to get my dry eyes to open up, and the moment I did, I was overwhelmed with vibrant white light. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. I didn't want to be awake. I wasn't even sure I wanted to be alive… but then I saw her, lying in the next bed over from me.

Josie was here. Alive and breathing.

"Jo… Josie?" I eked out with a cough. She jolted awake, rolling over to face me with excitement.

"Oh, thank God! You're awake!" she said, gingerly sliding her feet to the floor and shuffling over to me. She bent over and hugged me, pressing her face next to mine. Neither of us talked for a while - we just soaked in the moment. I could feel the wetness of her tears against my cheek, and hear the uneven, dramatic pace of her breathing. I reached my right arm up and laced my fingers through her hair, pulling her head in a little tighter. I breathed in through my nose, painfully soaking in the familiar scent of her hair, and suddenly, being alive sounded like a good thing again. I could deal with the aches and bruises.

She pulled away after our long embrace, stroking my cheek as she looked at me through tear-glossed eyes. "We didn't think you were gonna make it," she said, smiling as a tiny droplet slid down her cheek. "You were dead for, I dunno… almost three minutes."

"What happened?" I asked. "Keelan was about to shoot me, and then he took a bullet, and I gutted him… and everything kinda went blurry after that."

"I was aiming for his head," she said, with a shrug. "Kind of a crappy shot when my shoulder's screwed up."

"Are you-"

"I'm okay. I got hit by a grenade blast. Suit protected me for the most part, but it threw me against the wall and I blacked out. When I came around, I saw what was going on with you. I got Taylor down, shot the other two guys. Cho and Avitus got there not long after. We moved you to the med bay here on the ship."

"Wow. That's… thank you. So… are we safe here?"  
"Oh yeah. The cavalry arrived a while ago. Ozz and Cho left this morning. I, um… I told them I wouldn't leave until you were better."

I reached up and gently brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers, as I studied her features for the thousandth time. Even war-weary, she was the most stunning sight I'd ever laid eyes on.

"Man… it is _good_ to see your face," I said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head into my touch.

"And it's good to hear your voice," she replied. "It's gotta be hard to talk for you, though…"

"A little," I said with a wince.

"Then don't talk," she whispered. "Just be here with me."  
"I can do that."

"You're talking, dummy!"

"Sorry."

"Stop!" She said with a teasing smile. I nodded.

"Can I lay next to you?" She asked. "I just want to be… you know… close to you."

I patted the bed next to me, and she delicately lowered herself beside me, careful to lay her arm across my waist to avoid the bandaged-but-insanely-sore wound on my chest. She sighed a deep, contented sigh, and laid there with me until we both fell asleep.

* * *

When I came to Andromeda, I had adventurous, exciting dreams about what I'd do. Exploring untouched alien worlds, uncovering ancient treasures, naming new species. Raking dirt was not on that list of exciting stuff to do. As it turned out, though, being a pioneer involved a little excitement, and a whole lot of raking.

About a month after the Natanus incident, Scott Ryder and his sister found a way to unlock a pivotal piece of ancient tech which activated terraforming stations all over our cluster, including one on Eos. The ecosystem improved dramatically over the following weeks and months - rain became more consistent, temperature variances equalized a little more, clouds became a regular feature in the blue sky. A year and a half after waking up, there was finally a real chance to cultivate sustainable life support on local planets, and that's just what the Initiative did.

The near-disaster on the Natanus sparked a lot of good in the Initiative. With the head start we had on Cerberus, we were able to keep the death toll on the ark to under 80 turians. 80 was a tragedy, to be sure, but out of twelve thousand, it felt like a win. All the races came together to speed the process of moving the rest of the turian cryo pods to the safety of the Nexus. Even the krogan pitched in… reluctantly. Director Tann issued medals of honor to our whole team, and I received an avalanche of thank you cards and gifts from grateful turians who had family members in cryo. I took my medal and hung it on Paladra's tombstone - after all, her death made the Natanus mission possible. Losing her the way I did left a wound that would never fully heal, but it helped to know that her death was in the pursuit of a greater goal. In time, I came to accept my decision on Kadara - getting that data saved literally thousands of lives.

Apex continued the same as before, though not until a thorough mole hunt weeded out the Cerberus operatives inside the system. As it turned out, there were quite a few terrorists imbedded across the Initiative - even in Apex itself. The Nexus leadership didn't take the chance of exiling them and allowing them to regroup on Kadara. They were sentenced to 10 years hard labor on a penal colony mining resources from a large asteroid. Two months later, the protective shielding mysteriously failed and they were all lethally irradiated. No one could prove it, but everyone knew the turians had something to do with it.

Kandros offered me the command of any team I wanted - even Alpha - but I declined. Something about a kiss with death made me want to keep my distance from it a little. Ozz left as well, taking the opportunity to start doing what he really loved - working with plants. He was one of brightest minds in Prodromos, and he loved being recognized for it.

Brann made a full recovery, which is not surprising, because, well - he's a krogan. He and Devin Cho stayed on with Apex, and loved every minute of it. Josie put her marksmanship to use in a more domesticated way, developing a team of wild game hunters based out of Prodromos. They kept the town safe from the dangers of the local wildlife, and provided much-needed meat to our increasingly-native diet.

As for me, I couldn't get away from military life altogether - it was in my blood. And besides that, I was still good at it. Mayor Bradley offered me a high-ranking position in the fledgling Eos militia - which meant I got to train, coach and toughen up farmers, sharpening them into soldiers. I also had a hand-picked scout team that accompanied me on trips around the area, surveying the land, exploring new features, and preparing the way for our outpost's expansion. There was still action from time to time, but my life involved a lot less shooting and being shot at. It was a welcome change of pace.

Whenever I wasn't out on assignment or drilling my troops, I could usually be found with a rake in my hand, working my land. As part of my officer's commission, the mayor granted me a 10-acre plot of mostly flat plain, about a 15-minute drive from Prodromos. It was a great spot - hillside to the north, valley to the south, with a modest pond on the southeast corner. I didn't have a house on it yet, but I did have a quarter-acre bordering the pond fenced off, ready for straight-up farming. Ozz helped me develop a 3-month soil preparation routine, and in time, I'd be growing my own food - melons, peppers, wheat and peanuts. It just needed raking. Lots and lots of blister-producing raking.

I took a break from the incessant motion and wiped the sweat off my brow, as I watched the most beautiful woman on the planet pull up in her rover and get out, walking up the rest of the hill to bring cold lemonade to me.

"Hey there, captain," Josie said with a playful salute. "Tired of raking yet?"  
"I'd better not be. I've still got a long way to go."

"How did our ancestors do this? I mean, they had oxen to do work like this, right? Or gas-powered tractors…"

"Well, you go far enough back, they were probably digging with deer bones or something. It's hard work. Anything worth doing usually is."

"You know, you don't have to start with a humongous ranch. You could just, you know, do something _easy_ for once. Or take a day completely off…"

"What, and let down the family name? Never!" I smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. "You know, that dynamic applies to people who marry into the name, too…"

"New galaxy, new rules," she said, teasingly sassy. "Besides, someone would have to actually, I dunno… _propose_ some sort of arrangement before any name-changing would come into the picture. _Wink wink_."

"All in good time, Jos. All in good time."

She wrapped her arms around me, pressing through my shirt to feel the scar on my chest.

"I'm just glad we've got time," she said. "I love you, Grissom Wade. Don't work too long - I need to kick your butt at pool again tonight."

"Ha! Keep dreaming," I said tousling her hair, before brushing it back out of her face and looking into her eyes. "I love _you_ , Josie. One day, this whole place is gonna be beautiful. Not perfect. Not easy, but it'll be ours."

"I can't wait. For now, though, I'll let you get to it."

I leaned on the handle of my rake as she left, breathing in deep through my nostrils as I surveyed the soil around me. After more than my fair share of blood, sweat and tears, I finally found what I was looking for. Something to explore. Something to cultivate. Something that was mine. I drew in another breath - the ground beneath me was rich and metallic, almost sweet in a way, but with the unmistakable fragrance of 'dirt.' Some would call it unpleasant, but to me, It was refreshing - a new smell for new memories. Good memories. And yet, there was something very familiar about it. In many ways, it reminded me of the red Texas clay from my childhood, but with new, unique elements to it. Kind of like Eos. New for sure… but home.

 **/ Author's Note /**

Well, that concludes one of the possible endings of _Apex: Extinction_. Did it end up the way you wanted? Wish you could've changed Grissom's mind? Wish different people lived / died / fell in love? You can try any or all of it. The full, branching story has 9 possible endings, each unique. Head over to my web page and check it out!

 **sites{d o t}google{d o t}com/view/apexextinction**

Finally, _thank you_. Thank you for taking time to share a bit of creativity with me. I truly hope you enjoyed the story, and would love to hear your thoughts on it - good or bad.

 _-C. Ridley Benbrook_


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